


come down from your mountain

by HalfwayThrough



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, F/M, Prisoner Hux, Rose pov, Smut, tension!, they're on Ajan Kloss but that's all I will take from TROS everything else can choke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:27:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22885537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalfwayThrough/pseuds/HalfwayThrough
Summary: A group of rebels took their position, blasters at the ready surrounded a single prisoner. The Resistance wasn’t exactly known for taking prisoners, but they seemed to have made an exception. His black coat was torn at the shoulder and blood dribbled from his pale lips. But it was the red hair, loose from its carefully glued style that made the air in her lungs freeze.The last time she’d seen him she’d been on her knees, hands shackled, with a stormtroopers weapon at her neck.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, GingerRose
Comments: 198
Kudos: 255





	1. Part 1 Ajan Kloss Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys I'm very excited to put out my first gingerose fic. The ship is so fun and interesting and feels like a throwback to TFA Reylo in a way. I'm very excited to share this and want to thank Ngoc12theFangirl for betaing. I plan on updating this fic every Monday in the later afternoon/evening time. If I expect any delays in posting I'll make sure to post it on my tumblr: halfwaythroughit.tumblr.com
> 
> Tell me what you think in the comments and enjoy ❤️

Rose wiped sweat from her brow before leaning back over the radar tech yanked out of an X-wing. Of all the devices to go out in a fighter, this was one of the last ones they could work with besides, well, the engine. She had just finished reassembling the working pieces and attaching the fresh wires pulled from a First Order wreck when the chaos of a ship landing hit her. 

Of all the bases and ships she worked on so far, this set up had to be the worst. The base was well hidden in the planet’s natural terrain and its foliage consisted of an underground interlocking root system that offered stable ground without fear of eroding tunnels or collapsed bases. Yet the stability compromised them, every movement across the planet reverberated across the underground roots. A tree could fall in an empty forest and yet they would still be able to hear the collapse of its trunk as it tumbled and groaned. Not only that, the tops of the trees provided bunker like protection from the sight of any who would be flying above. But the wind traveled freely between the narrow trunks of the trees. The entire base acted like a wind tunnel and oftentimes Rose would be behind work due to a passing breeze suddenly accelerating as it traveled through the base. Rose frowned, setting her tools aside as the wind blew across the base. She held onto the schematics she’d pulled earlier and bitterly watched ship and engine blueprints latch onto the wind and depart from her work station.

The landing gear hit the ground and the engines groaned as everything died down. She sighed, grabbing her tools again to finish up. She managed to affix another wire in place before a loud cry drew her attention. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Connix cried over the growing murmur of rebels. Rose looked over and found half the base grouping around the landed ship. She stood up from her worktable, trying to see past shoulders but she was too far away and too short. She paused, looking at her work before deciding to abandon it altogether and running for the ship. She moved past Beaumont, knocking into his shoulder as she moved to the front of the back. 

She was in no way prepared to see what was waiting for her. 

A group of rebels took their position, blasters at the ready surrounded a single prisoner. The Resistance wasn’t exactly known for taking prisoners, but they seemed to have made an exception. His black coat was torn at the shoulder and blood dribbled from his pale lips. But it was the red hair, loose from its carefully glued style that made the air in her lungs freeze. 

The last time she’d seen him she’d been on her knees, hands shackled, with a stormtroopers weapon at her neck. 

She wanted to yell. She wanted to scream at them- _why had they brought him back? Why hadn’t they shot him? He didn’t deserve to be here, to be at the heart of the rebellion._ She sneered at him as they yanked him down the ramp to the ground where the resistance was waiting. Everyone seemed to share her feelings. All across the crowd were red angry faces, all of them shouting and screaming their outrage for even bringing him back alive. Someone - she couldn’t tell who exactly - threw their wrench at him and narrowly missed the top of his head. 

Armitage Hux grinned as he was brought forward, his chin held high as everyone began yelling back and forth. Cold eyes looked over the crowd, savoring the hate being thrown at him. His gaze stopped on her. Rose froze, holding his gaze and trying to raise her chin in defiance. She wasn’t scared of Hux and she was determined to show it. 

He smirked before being pulled away from the crowd towards the outskirts of the base.

* * *

“What is he doing here?” Rose asked later at lunch. Everyone was talking about their new arrival and they’d all hunched around a single table; each person shared their own little piece of information they’d learned in hopes of hearing something new. 

“I heard they were going to kill him but he said he’d give them information- valuable stuff,” Goss muttered from behind his mask, his eyes moving back down to his food. 

“What could he possibly know?” Someone sneered from across the table, a young woman. 

“He’s a General,” Goss replied, taken aback. “He must know something.” 

“That doesn’t mean he’ll give us anything real we can use,” Connix said. She had been very disturbed ever since their guest had arrived. Her food sat in front of her untouched. “What if it’s a trap? What if he’s here to feed us wrong information? Or they expected us to take him and there’s a whole fleet tailing him right now?”

“He’s a coward,” Rose finally said, trying to ignore the heat she felt against her neck as the memory of her would be execution echoed in her mind. “He’d say anything to save his neck. And if this truly was a trap, we would be dead now.”

Someone snorted and the conversation dipped back into his motivations. Rose was tired of talking about Armitage Hux; but it seemed no matter where she went, he was the hot topic. After lunch she went back to the ground crew, fiddling with her radar when commander D’acy came by holding a foil packet of a quarter portion of food. 

“Rose?” she asked, a nervous smile on her face. Rose winced. D’acy only wore that expression when she was about to deliver bad news. 

“Commander?” she said, turning away from her work. 

“It’s been suggested that, since the pilots and fighters are still going out on missions, that this responsibility be given to the ground crew and base engineers,” D’acy said, holding out the foil packet. Rose reached for it, looking for something out of the ordinary but finding only a boring food packet like all the others in stock. 

“And what responsibility is that?” she asked, looking up from the packet. 

“Feeding the prisoner,” D’acy whispered quickly, relief immediately appeared as the words left her.

“Commander!” Rose stood, ready to shove the packet back in the woman’s hands. 

“Sorry, I know. It’s from the Generals, they said it was the best solution. My apologies, Rose, I need to go.” And just like that the woman scuttled away back into the row of ships, hiding from the fuming woman who was ready to rip the foil packet in half. 

“Buford!” Rose called approaching the yellow droid moving heavy machinery around for Goss. “Buford, could you take this to the prisoner at the edge of the base.” 

She held out the packet. Buford looked at her hand before looking back up at her and beeping incredulously before moving back to his task. 

“I know you’re busy,” Rose began, following after him only to be interrupted by another string of beeps and whirls. “You’re on mud right now! What do you mean you can’t go off road to his cell?” 

Her question was left unanswered as B-U4D continued about his work and she was left with the food packet. She turned to the other engineers and they all abruptly turned back to their work, some of them talking loudly as if they had been in conversation instead of watching her. 

Worthless. All worthless.

* * *

The Resistance didn’t have any proper cabins for rest. Rose and the other engineers slept in one of the heavy carriers at night; though on nights crowded with new arrivals, their bed became the ground beneath the carriers. So, there wasn’t much in the way of buildings to house a prisoner in. What stood at the edge of camp was a few metal panels welded together with a door held on by vines instead of hinges. She moved past the guard, holding the foil up as a badge. She moved the door, watching the sharp edges. The inside was completely dark save for the red light of a mechanical lock. She peered in the dim light and found a safe, usually used on ships to lock precious cargo but now holding a man. It had bars like a prison cell, which was fitting. All six walls of the former safe consisted of metal bars, including the floor, which meant some rough sleeping for a former General. 

In the light spilling in from the doorway she could just make out his form. He was curled up in the corner, his black coat pulled around him. He looked up, his pale face stark against the darkness around him. He’d wiped the blood from his face, but his hair was an even more unruly mess of orange locks. 

“Oh, it’s you,” he said, perking up. “Have you come for my secrets?” 

“No,” she said flatly, tossing the packet through the bars. He picked it up from the mud, wiping the dirt from the foil. 

“Is this it?” he asked.

“Yup.” 

“I don’t know why I’m surprised,” he said, setting it aside. His gaze returned to her. “I thought you would have gotten yourself killed by now. Rebels are dropping like flies these days.” 

Rose grit her teeth. 

“Enjoy your dinner,” she said before leaving the cell and slamming the door behind her.

* * *

As the weeks drew longer, it was becoming more and more apparent that the chore of feeding Hux had become Rose’s alone. When the task came into her hands, she would try to pass if off to someone else; but her only responses were either a brush of the hand or a sorry excuse. At first Rose had considered letting him starve a day or two, however she discovered that she did not possess that cruelness. One time, she’d managed to talk Goss into doing it but Hux had said something so cruel to him that he refused to repeat it to anyone who asked. Since then he would disappear when it came time to venture down to the prisoner’s cell. While the chore was unpleasant, she hadn’t found it traumatic. If she was the only one who could return to routine after it then maybe it was best she did it. 

Kriff, take her bleeding heart. 

She moved down to the shack, running through the heavy afternoon rain with her bag slung over her back. The guards didn’t stop her anymore, they knew what she was there for. 

She slipped into the cell, closing the door behind her to keep the rain out. She pulled back her hood and dug through her sack to find a small table lantern that had been collecting dust in a storage cube. Rose thought that maybe if the cell was lit better the others would feel safer stepping into it. It was rather creepy with no lights and while she had never feared the dark, she knew others did. Anything to get someone else to occasionally perform the task. She flicked it on and, while dim, it still illuminated the entire small structure. 

Hux grunted, throwing a hand up to shield his eyes from the light. 

“Come to blind me?” he groaned, sitting up. Rose paused, struck by what the light now exposed. She had only ever seen his face from the light outside, now it was a new world inside the cell. He’d been laying on his General’s coat, using it as a bed roll. Over the weeks, someone had thrown him extra rebel clothes that he then refused to wear and was now using as a pillow. He kept his boots on and First Order pants. He’d taken off his vest and was down to a black undershirt rolled up to his elbows, with the top open to the collarbone. A surprisingly casual ensemble. He wasn’t going anywhere so Rose didn’t know why she expected him to wear a full uniform at all times. He seemed like the type to stick to tradition, she guessed. What shocked her most was his face. His hair had been smoothed out, as if he’d slipped his fingers in it to style it. But his jaw was covered in a thick beard that softened the hardest edges of his chin. It was obvious he’d have no razor to tame it and seen had seen the scruff growing on his jaw for the last few days but seeing him for the first time in this state with pure light seemed so invasive. He was thin, his skin so pale she could see his veins through it. The blueish hue was so prominent it seemed to glow in the bend of his elbow. 

She couldn’t shake the thought that she shouldn’t have seen this. 

“I brought you a light,” she said, trying to gather her thoughts. He blinked, looking from the lantern in her hand to her face. She didn’t know if he was going to thank her- or if he was capable of it. She quickly set the lantern down beside the bars so he could slip his hand through them and turn it off or on. She stuck the food packet through the bars and left. 

That night as she tossed on her bedroll beneath a large rusted out transport ship, Rose thought about his eyes and the brief flicker of humanity that seemed to cross his face when he realized she’d brought him a gift. 

She shouldn’t have ever done such a thing. She was sure it would haunt her for the rest of her days.

* * *

“Rose, we need your help,” Connix said, running up to Tico’s workstation. Rose looked up from the work, pulling up the visor she’d been wearing to keep the bright light from her eyes. 

“What kind of help?’ she asked. She had a travel kit to help with most engineering emergencies but if it was a communications tech that needed work she’d need some extra things from storage. Not to mention if something crossed plumbing- that was a whole other can of worms. 

“It’s Hux,” she said. Rose raised an eyebrow. Connix sighed before continuing. “He was brought in on the promise of information but…” 

“But what?” Rose prodded. 

“He says he won’t talk with anyone but you.” 

Rose dropped her soldering gun. It clattered on the table, knocking a canteen of water onto the ground below. 

“Why?” she asked, trying to clean up her mess. Her heart began racing. Was it fear?

“He didn’t say. I know you’ve been seeing him every day, maybe he feels safe with you?” Connix suggested, not completely convinced herself but obviously needing Rose’s help. 

“I don’t know why he would,” Rose said, setting her canteen back on the table. “I’ve barely said ten words to him.” 

“He’s a weird one for sure,” Connix said. 

“Are you sure that’s what he said?” Rose asked, giving her a suspicious look. She didn’t want to think ill of her comrades, but it seemed like an easy out to get her to draw the short straw without drawing straws. 

“He’s made it _abundantly_ clear,” Connix shuddered. “I’ve been with him all morning and he’s been less than pleasant.” 

Rose bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t know much in the way of interrogation, but if she was the only one he’d talk to… If he had any information that was worth having she needed to get it. 

“Okay,” Rose said, pulling off her visor completely and setting her work aside. “What do you need to know?”

* * *

She stepped into the cell and was greeted by a new sight. Hux stood in the middle of his cell, his hands clasped behind his back. His outer garments were still cast aside, but it looked like he had used water to style his hair away from his face. A very different sight than she had seen when she’d brought her gift. 

“What are you playing at?” she demanded, her hands on her hips as she examined him as if she could see his plans drawn across his sleeves. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, looking down at his hands as he adjusted his sleeves where they sat at his elbows. Rose sucked at her teeth. 

“What do you want from me?” 

“I don’t want anything from you, I just prefer anything the rebels want comes through you,” he said simply looking up at her with a thin smile. “Believe it or not, you’re the only decent person that’s stepped foot in here.” 

“That’s not true,” she scoffed. 

“You don’t know how your comrades treat prisoners of war,” he snapped.

“You can’t expect them to be polite. You’re responsible for hundreds of deaths,” Rose said. “You ordered the destruction of planets.” 

“There were other Generals choosing that too. I was a cog in a machine. What is worse, agreeing to kill someone or pulling the trigger?” His voice was smooth, as if he planned on having the conversation and had rehearsed his words. 

“You know exactly what it means to kill someone,” Rose said flatly. 

“I suppose I do,” he said giving her a small smirk. “But you’re not here to chat with me- you’re here to get intel, aren’t you?” 

“I’m beginning to think I’m only here for you to have someone to listen to you monologue.” 

“You’re sharp,” he said, pointing at her with a pale finger. “Sharper than the others they sent down here. Truly, Rose, you don’t understand the pain of speaking to those-”

“Don’t.” 

“Don’t what-,”

“You’re not my friend, you don’t get to use my name,” Rose snapped. Hux paused, taking her in carefully. 

“How may I address you?” he asked slowly. Rose hesitated. She didn’t have a proper title. She wasn’t a lieutenant or a commander. She was Rose, or Tico to some. Yet both of her names seemed too personal to come from Hux’s mouth.

“You won’t,” she said, unhappy with the choices left to her. “Now, tell me what you know.” 

He smiled at her, a devilish knowing grin. 

“I don’t know if I want to share information with someone I’m not allowed to address,” he said, wrinkling his nose at her like a taunting child. Rose rolled her eyes, unable to stop the action. 

“Fine. Call me Tico,” she said, quickly compromising. 

“And you can call me Hux.” 

“I already do.” 

“Well, it’s nice to know we’re on the same page.” 

“The First Order,” Rose changed the subject abruptly, trying to steer him back towards intel. “What are they planning?” 

“Not much of anything,” he said with a shrug. Rose groaned. 

“Alright, well I’ll go tell General Leia that our prisoner has no valuable information and they can shoot you off into empty space,” she said turning towards the door. 

“Wait!”

She stopped mid-step to look over her shoulder. He was clinging to the bars, his hand reaching through as if he could hold her back. 

“Oh, do you have something to say to me, Hux?” Rose said sweetly.

* * *

Rose sat on the floor of the jail, pen and paper in hand. Hux sat on the other side of the bars, recounting different aspects of a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer. The rebels had blueprint fragments to work with but knowing what the fleet was made of- every nook and crannie- helped immensely. 

Or at least she felt like it would help. 

“How many crew onboard?” Rose asked, making a new column for personnel in her notes. The last few days had been spent on the mechanics of the Destroyer and now she wanted information on its personnel. 

“19,000 Officers,” he said. He’d been mostly quietly the last few days. He’d sit beside the bars recounting as much information as he knew. He seemed bored but whenever she looked up his eyes were always focused on her notes so he must have been somewhat engaged. 

“And non-officers?” Rose asked, writing the number down. It was an intimidating number even for a section of people aboard a single ship. She told herself that the Finalizer was a flagship and larger than most. At least their Mega-class Dreadnought had been taken down, although she wished she hadn’t been on it when it did. 

“Uh 50 thousand or so enlisted men and a couple thousand Stormtroopers,” he said with a wave of his hand. 

“Aren’t you supposed to know details like that?” Rose asked, penciling in his estimates. 

“Sorry if it isn’t fresh, I’ve been rotting away in a rebel jail for a while now,” he said. 

“What about medical personnel? I presume mechanics are counted in enlisted but what about cleaners, kitchen workers, other non-military occupations-,” 

“They don’t matter,” he hissed. Rose blinked, unaware of what brought on this wave of frustration. 

“Doctors don’t matter?” she asked slowly, trying to pinpoint what he was after. However, Hux closed his eyes taking in a long breath and unfurling his fists. 

“They’re all enlisted,” he said, curtly. 

“Oookay,” Rose said, more to herself, making a note in her book. She reached for her bag ready to end the session. She didn’t want to deal with Hux in this kind of mood and she didn’t intend to push him any farther. She stood up ready to head back for dinner. 

“Hays Minor,” he said, looking up at her. “You’re from Hays Minor.” 

“Yes?” she folded her arms across her chest, holding her notebook close. 

“Are your parents there?” he asked. 

“As far as I know,” she said, ignoring the thickness in her throat. She hadn’t seen her parents in years. When the conscription officers came Paige and Rose fled rather than man a First Order gun. She hadn’t been afraid of leaving at the time, she had her sister. She wondered if they knew. If the transmissions she’d sent had made it. Were they even alive? Or had they been worked to death in the mines? 

“You don’t know?” he asked. 

“I left many years ago,” she said, looking at her boots. 

“You don’t think about them?” 

“I think about them constantly,” she admitted, her eyes on the mud on her boot not on the person she was speaking to. She might have held her tongue if she was looking into his face. “I miss them.” 

Hux was silent. Rose looked to him; he was staring off into space.

“What about your parents?” she asked. His face jerked as if pulled from a dream. 

“They’re gone,” he said. 

“I’m sorry.” Why did she say that? She didn’t care if Hux’s parents were dead, so why was she trying to console him? It seemed the proper thing to do- someone says they have lost someone you give condolences. He seemed just as surprised by her words as she was. He was inspecting her, scanning her face for something. For what exactly? That she was unsure of. 

“You wouldn’t be if you knew them,” Hux said. They were silent for a moment before Rose reached into her bag and pulled out a food packet. 

“Here,” she said, shoving it between the bars. Hux took it, his fingers brushing hers. She froze, her fingers still clenched around the foil. His skin was warm. 

Her gaze jerked up from where their hands were connected, and found green eyes watching her. A thought bloomed in her chest- what was he thinking behind those green eyes? Was it all vitriol? It didn’t look like it. It seemed, even if for just a fleeting moment, that there might be more.

The packet slipped from her fingers, landing between the prison bars.

Startled back into the world, Rose jumped up. She grabbed her notebook and bag and marched out of the jail. She didn’t look back at him but even as she walked up the path towards the camp, she could feel green eyes burning into her.


	2. Chapter 2

They spent the next week collecting information from Hux. Rose was moved from her usual duties with the ground crew to talking to Hux full time- a change he was thrilled about and she could have done without. He wouldn’t talk to anyone else and no matter who she spoke with she was unable to wiggle out of it.

They started letting him out of his cell. His wrists shackled with thick metal cuffs and Rose at his side with a blaster and an itchy trigger finger. They moved through the compound and earning curious glances at first. Then it became routine.. The exchange was thus: Rose would take Hux out for some sun - which they both knew he so desperately needed - and in exchange he would give her another piece of information before they returned to his cell.

They sat out in the middle of the base at Rose’s old workstation. He sat on a stool beside her, eyes closed enjoying the nearby star’s heat. He was looking better since their walks started - less pale and haggard. She sketched out a map of various maintenance hatches on a C class Star Destroyer according to his memory. 

“Why are they all in the middle?” Rose asked, reviewing her work. Hux shifted, looking over her shoulder at the paper. 

“Less security on the outer halls, easier to get through the shields there,” he said. 

“But how do you get anything fixed on the outer edges?” she asked. 

“It’s not easy,” he groaned rolling his eyes. She looked back to the schematics when a roar hit the air. She looked up and found people following a group of newly arrived rebels. 

Rose stood up from her desk, her sketch falling to the ground. 

“Finn!” she called, waving her arm over her head. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, maybe a month? He was walking with Poe laughing about something. She waved and called for him again. He turned slightly but didn’t truly see her. He kept going, vanishing behind the equipment. 

Rose lowered her hand, screwing her mouth up into a bunch. It hadn’t been the first time. She was inclined to think he just hadn’t heard her but he’d been blowing her off even before he left. She felt pathetic for feeling anything over it, but she still felt it. Deep in her gut a sense of disappointment that she couldn’t shake. 

Hux gave a low long whistle. She turned to glare at him. 

“There’s something there, isn’t there?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“There’s nothing. That’s been made very clear,” she said, sitting back down and grabbing her sketch from the ground. It had a few dirt smudges but was still legible. 

“The traitor turned you down?” Hux asked, leaning on her table. 

“Not in that many words- and you can’t call him a traitor if you’re giving up secrets for the First Order,” Rose said, tapping on his elbow to get him off her station. He moved, lifting his shackled hands to scratch at his beard. 

“I suppose you’re right about that,” he said. “So what? Is he taken? Or just not interested?” 

Rose closed her eyes, holding back her frustrations. 

“I don’t know, he won’t talk to me,” she said sternly. She was looking down at her sketch and yet she could feel the expression Hux was making- wide eyed and ready to devour the gossip handed to him. 

“Didn’t you save his life? Back on Crait with your silly little skimmers. I could have killed you all back then, I should have gone against orders and done it if he was going to be so ungrateful,” Hux said. 

“He doesn’t… I don’t- he doesn’t owe me. I don’t want that anymore. I just want a conversation- anything,” she said, setting her pencil to the paper and labeling another hatch. 

“Did he know? Or did he think you risked your life for your very, very good friend?” Hux asked, leaning in towards as another engineer passed by, his voice lowered into a whisper. 

Rose looked over at him, her shoulders slouched down. 

“I shouldn’t have told you any of this,” Rose said, turning her paper over to begin on the back. 

“I’m glad you did. The regular talk is so boring- hatches and pipes and shields and holds and it’s all very dull,” he said. 

“What in the hell is he doing here?” a voice called from behind them. Rose twisted around to see Poe pointing a finger at Hux. 

“I’m being interrogated,” Hux said, holding up his shackles. 

“By Rose?” Poe said incredulously. 

“Excuse me, captain, but I-,” Rose began, rising from her chair. 

“Commander, actually,” he corrected. Rose grit her molars. 

“ _Commander_ , I know you’ve been off world for quite a while but in the last few weeks it’s become my responsibility to record the information given to us about the First Order from Hux,” Rose explained slowly, trying to hold her temper in check. 

“Then do it in a safe secure area, not just out in the open. Are you trying to get yourself killed, Rose?” Poe said before waving a hand at her and moving away as if that was the end of the conversation. Her superior had spoken and now she was left with an order. 

“If it makes you feel better, it would be a lot easier to kill you in my little jail cell than out here,” Hux said playfully. 

“Shut up,” she replied, grabbing her blaster and yanking on his cuffs to pull him to his feet. She pressed the barrel of her blaster to his spine. “Walk.” 

There were a million things she could have said to Poe but she doubted any of them would have helped. He had a tendency to pick a thought and stick with it. She shouldn’t feel so upset, she shouldn’t feel so lonely and betrayed. And yet she did. She locked Hux back in his cell and avoided Finn and Poe until they left the planet again.

* * *

As her talks with Hux grew longer, Rose became more and more frustrated. Besides schematics of ships and number of personnel she was getting nothing new. He was playing a game with her, giving her information close enough to something important to make it feel like progress when it meant nothing. He was wasting time, extending his usefulness. She only hoped that eventually he’d spill something worthwhile. In the meantime, sketching out starships was enough to amuse her. At least that was something solid she could hand to the Generals.

They were walking around the perimeter of the base, Rose’s gun slung across her shoulder. They earned less looks and less questions farther from the center of camp and she was tired of people asking to join her watch only to antagonize Hux. They began as if they wanted to catch up with her and then suddenly they were screaming at Hux and he’d be yelling back. The first time she’d panicked and hit him with her electro-shock prod to keep him under control. Dragging him back to his cell had been a chore and she decided to never do it that far from the cell again.

“Taking your pet for a walk, Rose?” Beaumont asked, walking up behind them. Rose cringed. Of all the well-meaning rebels on the base Beaumont irked her the most. Coming up to her work table trying to explain a tool to her that she was actively using or ignoring her briefings when she came to file them. Her patience for the man started out at zero. 

“He needs it or he gets cranky,” Rose said over her shoulder with an expression that could only be read as _go away_. 

“Oh, is that true, General?” Beaumont asked, stepping between them and throwing an arm across Rose’s shoulders. She tensed up, her fingers gripping her blaster hard enough to bruise. 

“Very true,” Hux said flatly. “I’m prone to crankiness.” 

“What a joker this one is,” Beaumont said, slapping the man on the back. “But I came over to talk to my buddy Rose.” 

Even Hux knew he was in fact not her buddy. However, Beaumont didn’t seem to notice. He pulled her close to his side, squeezing her tightly despite her trying to pull away.

“Do you need something?” Hux spat at the man. Rose and Beaumont were both taken back by the sudden vitriol, so much so that Beaumont released her. Rose quickly stepped away out of reach of another one of his hugs. 

“Yeah, I have an A-wing with a shield problem,” he said. 

“What kind of shield problem?” 

“Shields don’t work, that’s the problem.” 

“Can’t you get Goss to do it?” Rose groaned. 

“He’s busy, but he said you should be free,” Beaumont said. 

“Does it look like I’m free?” Rose said, motioning to Hux. 

“Just take him with you,” the man said. “Thanks again Rose. You’re the best!” 

Before she could protest, Beaumont left. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She felt a stress headache coming on and fast. 

“What a charming guy,” Hux said, his tone dark for such a joke. 

“Come on, I have to grab some things.” 

Her whole schedule was thrown off. She hadn’t even gotten new information out of Hux today and she was already on another chore. She could have walked him back to the jail on the other side of camp but then she’d have to hike right back to get him again for questioning. If it was just the shields she’d be done with the A-wing quick enough. 

Rose walked him over to her workbench where she immediately noted someone had rearranged it. She groaned, tearing through the drawers and crates for her tool pouch. When she came up empty handed, she was ready to scream. 

“Rough day?” Hux asked, leaning against her table. He was smiling. 

“If you value your life, which I know you do, you won’t mock me when I’m armed,” Rose said sternly. She looked down at the table and figured if her pouch wasn’t here then she’d left it with her other personal items at her bunk. Well it wasn’t much a bunk anymore. The engineers had been sleeping in a transport ship but with a new influx of rebels and fighters coming back from missions they’d been pushed to the ground below the ship. 

She nodded at Hux to move and led him towards the ship. It was an old model, barely operational. Rose tended to call it the Rust Bucket as it was very round and extremely weathered. Her fellow bunkers in the mud had done their best to make an acceptable sleeping space. Green curtains pulled from the ship hung from its belly making dividers so everyone could have their own “room.” Tarps were laid out to keep them off the mud. While she preferred the less humid interior of the Rust Bucket, there was something nice about the fresh air at night and the gentle breeze pulling at the curtains. 

She thought there might be someone at the entrance she could leave Hux with, but it was empty. Rose bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t want to bring him in, but she wanted to get done with this as soon as possible. Rose grabbed Hux by the arm, leading him through the narrow-curtained hallways. She heard something hit metal, the echo ringing out. 

“Kriff,” Hux cursed, bending over and bringing his shackled hands to his head. Rose hadn’t noticed it before, but the makeshift ship ceiling was rather low. It had never bothered her but for a man as tall as Hux it had proved quite the obstacle. 

She laughed, her stress melting away in a single moment. He shot her a look but there was no teeth in it. She giggled the rest of the way to her section, Hux ducking lower than he needed to the entire way. 

She pulled back the curtain and stepped into her room. It was small and sparse- a bed roll, a small lantern, and a storage cube for her things. She kneeled beside the cube, looking through her items for her pouch. Hux stood behind her, still agonizing over his blow to the head. 

“You know this really does hurt,” he whined. Rose pushed back a book and found a small mirror in her cube. She took it, holding it behind her for him to take. 

“It’s not that bad, look at it,” she said, her other hand still clawing through the cube. When the mirror didn’t immediately leave her hand she turned around, holding it up to him. “Take it.” 

He was looking at her with that scrutinizing gaze again, as if she was the piece he couldn’t slip into a puzzle box. 

“Why are you being so nice?” he finally admitted. That’s what he was trying to figure out? Rose threw her head back and laughed. He didn’t appreciate the reaction. “Why are you laughing?” 

“I’m sorry, I just can’t believe every time you’ve scanned me over like a droid you’ve been trying to figure out why I’m _nice_ ,” she said, a smile still spread across her lips. 

“I think it’s a perfectly fine thing to wonder,” he said, defensively. 

“Is it such a foreign concept to you?” she asked, amused. 

“No,” he said, but he sounded less than confident. 

“Take the damn mirror,” Rose said, trying to push it in his hands. 

“No,” he said, pulling his shackled wrists away. 

“Now you’re being ridiculous!” she said, standing up and moving the mirror towards his hands. 

“I refuse to accept it,” he insisted, stepping away from her. 

“It’s just a mirror!” 

“I can’t owe you anything!” he said, stepping back and tripping over her lantern. He stumbled before falling onto her bedroll, which despite the blankets, was still on hard ground and was not a soft landing. Rose looked down at him, half bewildered and half greatly entertained. 

“Owe? You owe me your life!” she said. He struggled to regain his composure, sitting up and glaring at her. 

“I certainly do not!” he said. 

“What makes you think I can’t shoot you right now?” Rose said, her gun still swung across her shoulder. 

“You wouldn’t,” Hux said. 

“You’re a war criminal, a murderer, and a disgusting excuse for a person,” Rose said. “I have every reason to shoot you.” 

“Then do it.” 

Rose paused. “Excuse me?” 

“If I’m so terrible, shoot me,” he said.

She thought about it. How easy it would be to swing her gun around and end him. It wouldn’t stop the First Order. It wouldn’t bring her sister back or save her home planet. She wasn’t even sure it would feel good. She thought about killing him and realized she didn’t want to. That he was right. 

_Fuck._

Rose tossed the mirror into his lap and turned back to her things. 

“Just use the damn mirror,” she said, turning away and pulling her pouch from the bottom of the cube. 

They were both quiet for the rest of the afternoon. She dragged him to the broken A-wing where he sat with his shackles attached to a nearby pole. She crawled all over the ship, her clothes and face covered in grease. She earned a few burns on her fingers and hit a few roadblocks but nothing she couldn’t handle. Hux even helped at one point, reluctantly kicking her a wrench. 

She crawled out from underneath the ship and looked up at him. 

“Done!” she said, unable to control her smile. He wore an expression she didn’t recognize but it didn’t look like he was plotting to kill them all so she ignored it. She climbed up the wing and slipped into the cockpit and flipped the shields on. “It works!!” 

She turned them off and slid down off the craft. 

“Wonderful. It’s evening,” Hux said, leaning against the pole and nodding to where the daylight was slowly disappearing. 

“Kriff how long have I been under there?” she asked looking to the horizon. She was sure it was afternoon when she went under the ship, hadn’t it? 

“I don’t have a clock,” Hux said, shifting his arms to show off that the only thing on his wrists were binders. 

“I have to get you back,” Rose said, shoving her tools in her pockets. She leaned over pressing her thumb to the scanner on his binders only to have it blink red at her. “Kriff.” 

She wiped the grease from her hand on her shirt and tried again. It blinked and released from the pole. Hux groaned as he stood, stretching his limbs from being cooped up for more than a few hours. They didn’t have much daylight left and she preferred not to have a prisoner out after dark. She grabbed his elbow and started back to the cell. 

“Where’d you learn all of that?” Hux asked as they trudged across the base. 

“Mechanics?” Rose asked, half listening and focused on how quickly the light was disappearing and the looks being thrown her way. “I worked on some of the mining transports back home. Read a lot. Listened a lot.” 

Hux snorted.

“What?” she asked over her shoulder. 

“Nothing, it’s just you _fix_ things,” he said. 

Rose raised an eyebrow before turning back to lead them past a narrow spot between two trees. “And?” 

“And you’re overly nice.” 

“Not to you,” she said. 

“I don’t agree.” 

Rose stopped causing Hux to bump into her. 

“What are you trying to say?” she asked. 

“Nothing, I’m just noticing a theme,” he said with a faux innocent smile. Rose squinted at him. 

“You’re not a broken A-wing,” she said. He laughed. 

“But my shields are down,” he said. 

Rose blinked. She wasn’t entirely sure what was insinuating but she didn’t care to think about it further. She pulled him forward and didn’t say a word until they reached the jail. She pulled open the door just as night overtook the base. The door closed behind them as Rose kneeled to turn on the lantern. She looked at its warm light and wondered- had she been nice to Hux? She’d given him this light after all. She took him outside for fresh air, she was the one who gave him food and talked to him. 

Kriff, was she being kind to Armitage Hux? 

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, pressing her thumb against the lock to his cell. It popped open and he went in without needing to be told. She followed in after him, as she did on their walks, to release his binders. She had her finger pressed to the scanner when she realized how light she felt- her gun was still in the shipyard by the A-wing. 

The binders sprung open. Hux was unshackled and Rose was unarmed. 

Fear flooded her body. She felt cold and hot all at the same time, her knees suddenly liquid beneath her. What was only a few moments felt like an hour. 

Hux raised his hand. Her breath stopped. She tried to think of the basic combat training she’d learned but it didn’t stick in her head as well as components and engines. Instead she closed her eyes and braced for impact. 

Only when his skin touched hers it was soft. His thumb dragging down from her cheek to her jaw. Her eyes opened. He was close, his hand still pressed against her face. 

And an entirely unwelcome feeling bloomed in her stomach. One she’d felt before when a certain rebel legend had come down to the bowels of a starship. A warmness that she both savored and suddenly despised. She looked up at him, at hollowed cheeks and the thick wild beard. At pink lips slightly parted that suddenly consumed every nerve in her mind. 

He pulled his hand away, lifting his thumb up to show off black oil smeared against his skin. 

“Grease.” 

Her entire body trembled. 

“Thank you,” she muttered before kicking herself for thanking him for anything. She quickly turned, slipped out the cell and slammed it shut. She left the jail and ran straight for the Rust Bucket. She tore through the curtains and collapsed onto her bedroll only to remember that he had been on it earlier. That she had brought him into her only personal space in the entire universe. She left, kicking her storage cube as she passed it and wandering off through the base. 

She reached the line of thick trees and broke down. She fell against a sturdy trunk, holding her face in her hands. 

There were a million thoughts in her head- want, guilt, hatred, desire, repulsion. Was she so desperate for human contact that she’d crave it from Armitage Hux of all people? She hated him, he’d nearly killed her. 

And he’d wiped grease off her face? 

Nothing made any sense anymore. She felt like an idiot all over again. At least Finn was on her side. At least he understood the order of the universe- the good and the bad. At least he wasn’t a First Order prisoner that destroyed planets. 

Tears trailed down her cheeks. All of it hit her like a tidal wave, drowning her in thought after thought. Shame after shame. 

She slid down the trunk, settling into the dirt at its base holding herself and trying to find an out to this. She could go to Leia tomorrow and ask to be reassigned. Except she had tried that before and no one was willing to spend more than two minutes with Hux. Why was that? Why could she spend the entire day with him and not run away crying? 

Well, she did run away crying tonight but she doubted all those other rebels had done it for the same reason. 

Rose wrapped her arms around herself, crying until the tears no longer came. 

These thoughts needed to be put away. They needed to be destroyed. She wouldn’t be able to keep going if they haunted her every movement. 

She curled against the tree and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would be a balm to her frantic mind. 

_The base was devoid of people. The tables and equipment were all there, but no one was around to man it. Rose wandered through the empty camp looking for someone- anyone._

_“Rose.” The voice sent a chill up her spine. She turned to see Hux standing behind her. He was dressed in full First Order regalia as he had the day she snuck onto the Supremacy, with one exception. He had an unkept beard along his jaw, his cheeks thin from quarter portions. He walked towards her, his hands wrapping around her waist and his lips finding hers. They were soft. The feeling of his body embracing hers made her shiver. Her fingers gripped his uniform and she kissed back even as shame reddened her face and guilt flipped her stomach. His tongue slipped across her lips and she gasped. They stumbled backwards into a workbench, her back pressed against the edge. His lips moved to her neck, hitting a nerve in just the right way that made her twitch beneath him, a moan escaping her lips._

_“Give in,” he whispered against her skin. Rose froze. She couldn’t. Not now, not ever. She pressed her hands against his chest to push him away and noticed her sleeves were a dark blue. She looked down and found herself clothed in a First Order uniform._

_Hux’s hand gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He was flanked by stormtroopers. The fingers against her chin clenched hard enough to hurt._

_“We will always win.”_

She woke with a gasp. There was a crick in her neck from leaning against the tree and her whole body ached from such an uncomfortable position. It was still dark, probably an hour or two before daylight. Rose slumped back against the tree, looking up through the dense leaves to the stars. 

Disappointment filled her chest, but for herself. How could she let her thoughts creep into that dark corner that should never have been touched? 

Touch. She shouldn’t think about touch anymore. 

“Rose?” Rose jerked up looking at a figure holding a lantern. It was Connix, a large case of food packets under her arm. Perhaps it was closer to dawn than she thought. “Are you okay?” 

Rose stood up quickly, brushing the dirt and leaves from her clothes but there was nothing to be done about the oil smeared on her skin or the puffiness of her eyes. 

“I’m fine,” she said, breaking into an unconvincing smile. Connix bit her lip before shifting the box in her hand. 

“Want to help me hand out breakfast?” she asked. 

“I’d love to.” 

Rose walked with Connix to one of the long tables near the ships turned barracks. She cut open the boxes with Connix’s knife, pulling out the portions. They set them out by size and flavor and Connix plucked one from the pile. 

“The yellow labels are my favorite,” she said, tearing it open. Rose looked down at them. They were all full portions and there were a lot of them. Rose grabbed a portion marked yellow. 

“Me too,” she said, pocketing it. 

Dawn broke over the camp and she helped hand out packets to the sleepy camp. Some people asked how she’d been. She said fine, chuckled at their jokes but moved on to the next person. When breakfast was done she went to the shipyard and grabbed her blaster from where she placed it yesterday. Rose could only hope no one had noticed she had just left her weapon behind. Then with the morning light on her face, her blaster on her back, and a full portion in her back pocket she made for the jail. 

She stepped in the jail and found Hux on the floor still asleep. He was laying on his back, one arm thrown over his eyes. His mouth hung open, a quiet snore escaping with each breath. 

This was a mistake. Her cheeks were hot and her fingers numb. This was all a terrible idea and she should just slip back to her workbench and ignore him. She was moving back the door when the snoring stopped. 

“Rose?” he said, still half asleep. He propped himself up on his elbow, shielding his eyes from the light behind her from the doorway. 

“Don’t call me that,” she said, her voice wavering. She wanted to kick herself for acting like such a fool. She pulled the food packet from her pocket, tossed it between the bars and left without a word. 

She curled up on her bedroll surrounded by a sea of green curtains berating herself. Why had she done that? Was it because she was nice? Was it because he was a broken A-wing? Did she think enough walks in the sun and extra food would eventually put him in working order? 

Rose didn’t know what she thought. What she did know is that she felt terrible. She told Beaumont she was sick and to have someone else check on Hux that afternoon before retreating to her corner of the camp that was already tainted by him. 

It was her fault. Everything was her fault. She gave in to checking on him, she gave in to treating him like a person, and now she was giving into something else. 

A line had been crossed in her mind and she felt it was written all over her face. That anyone could look at her and see that despite everything she was starting to think of Hux in a positive light. 

Not just a positive light, a sensual light. 

Rose shoved her head under her pillow hiding her face from the world. Was she so lonely, so hurt by Finn’s cold shoulder that she was willing to consider Hux of all people?

Her mind drifted to his fingers brushing her own. Then to his thumb running along the edge of her lip. 

Was it a game? Was he trying to get her to lower her guard? 

Rose groaned. She didn’t want to think about this anymore- she didn’t want to think.

Eventually she fell asleep, napping through most of the day. When she woke people were returning to their beds for the evening. She got up, wrapped herself in her coat, and got some dinner that she ended up only poking at. 

Her gaze drifted to the path that led down to the jail. She felt something pulling her there- her own selfishness. Her deviance. 

And yet, she rose from her table and started to it; she climbed down the path as daylight was snuffed out and replaced by the glimmer of distant stars. 

“Are you okay?” Hux asked as soon as she stepped in. 

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice hoarse from staying silent for most of the day. 

“They said you were sick,” he said leaning against the bars. 

“Why did you touch me?” she asked, avoiding the pleasantries. She needed answers- anything to calm the mess of feelings brewing within her. He paused, licking his lips. 

“You had grease on your face,” he said simply. 

“I had grease everywhere,” Rose countered. 

“Then let me finish the job.” Rose’s heart gallop inside her chest as fast as a Falthier. She stepped closer, stopping just before the bars. This close she could see the hunger in his eyes and it only made her skin burn hotter. 

“You’re avoiding the question,” she said, her voice soft. She was watching him now. His jaw rippled with nervous muscles, tensing and untensing. He wet his lips and his pupils grew wider as he met her gaze 

“I did it because I wanted to,” he said. “Have you ever done something just because you wanted to? Not because it was good or moral but because your gut burned to have it?” 

Rose swallowed hard. Hux grinned. 

“You’re burning with it, Tico. I can tell.” 

Her eyes flickered to the lock on the cell. One quick scan and she’d be there next to him. It was dark, no one was going to come check on them. She could slip her hands beneath his shirt and feel his lips on her throat. 

Instead she backed away and left, returning to her cold bed roll alone.


	3. Chapter 3

_You’re burning with it._

His voice echoed over and over in her skull. Before she thought she was drowning but it was all wrong- she was on fire. She was burning to ash over nothing. 

No, not nothing. Selfishness.

She pulled her covers over her head, tuning out the sounds of people snoring behind the curtains around her. There were the low chirps of the insects exploring the tarp. The slither of lizards snaking up the ship’s hull.

She could feel rocks beneath her bed, poking into her spine. A constant reminder. She sat staring into the dimness of her blanket. When she closed her eyes, she saw red hair. A tongue licking pink lips. Knuckles wrapping around cell bars. 

She tried to think of anything else- the shields on the A-Wing, the noise an X-Wing makes as it takes off. The feeling of a wires in her hand. Grease in her hand. On her face. His hands wiping it off only to lean in and press his lips to- 

Her eyes snapped open. 

If there was a way to cut out this evil from her chest, she would. 

She threw her blankets off, grabbing her coat and venturing out into the base. She gave the jail a wide berth, walking along the other side of camp with her hands shoved in her pockets. She reached the farthest edge of it where a young man stood with his blaster. 

“Can’t sleep?” he asked with a charming youthful smile. He had dimples and a head of thick brown curls. He seemed nice. Why couldn’t she like nice? 

“Yeah, bad dreams,” she said. 

“I hear, ya,” he said. He shifted, his hands awkwardly messing with the strap holding his rifle on his shoulder. 

“I’m Tan,” he said with a smile. 

“Rose-”

“I know who you are,” he said. Rose blinked. Did he know her from boarding the Supremacy? She smiled. Maybe all her work wasn’t for nothing. Even if Finn didn’t talk to her, someone would. “You watch General Hux.” 

Her smile fell.

“Yeah,” she said, looking down at her boots. “Yeah, I do.” 

“More power to you, looks like a tough job,” Tan said, trying to keep light conversation. Rose sucked at her teeth before giving him a forced smile trying to hide the disappointment burrowing through her stomach. 

“Great talking to you, Tan,” she said and turned away. 

The distinct sound of blaster fire met her ear. A flash of red washing the dark base for the briefest moment. She turned and found Tan laying on the ground, a hole in his forehead blistering and crackling. 

She looked up to the tree line and saw a handful of stormtroopers with weapons at the ready. And then another dozen emerged from the trees. And then another. 

She wanted to yell for her comrades but panic choked her throat. A red plasma beam shot through the air, grazing her right ear. She cried out, falling to her knees and then spilling onto her belly. She let her body fall limp, her cheek pressing into the mud. The clatter of trooper armor surrounded her as they spread across the base. Pain bloomed through her ear and the smell of cooked flesh was stuck in her nose. She peered up watching as lanterns were knocked over and supplies were lit ablaze. They were headed for the ships and the barracks. She only hoped the noise was stirring them in their beds. 

When it seemed all the troopers had moved past her to the center of the base she shifted, rising up out of the mud. She moved her hand up touching the shell of her ear. Pain shot through her head and as she poked at crisp jagged skin. 

Tan’s body lay beside her, a hole opened in his skull. He had no time to think, no time to defend himself. Shot from behind. A coward’s kill. 

She moved, keeping low to the ground and close to the tree line. She kicked herself for not grabbing Tan’s blaster but the idea of moving his corpse was too much to get her to go back. Instead she searched her pockets for anything. She hadn’t changed before falling into bed the day before so whatever was in them should still be there. Her fingers hit metal and she pulled out her electro-shock prod. 

Perfect. 

Keeping low, Rose sprinted from the tree line, throwing herself under Goss’ workbench. She moved random parts aside to peak out at the white boots marching around the camp. She heard the cries of people from the Rust Bucket. Some were being forced out with blasters between their shoulders. 

Besides poor Tan, no one else was being shot at. Rose shifted, looking further to where the troopers were lining the sleepy rebels in the shipyard. They were forced on their knees and surrounded by guards. There seemed to be a trooper for every rebel. Were they being lined up to be executed, or were they collecting them like they had on Haysian Minor? 

She didn’t see Leia in the bunch. Finn, Rey, and Poe were off planet. There weren’t many important figures to capture. Rose swallowed hard. If no one was of value then they’d all be dead. 

She took a breath before rolling out from underneath Goss’ bench, crawling from table to table before ducking behind a storage cube as two troopers walked past. She held her breath, listening to their static voices fade away. 

She peeked over the cube and saw the number of rebels kneeled before their X-wings had grown. Connix was being led out being held by two stormtroopers. She was kicking and yelling until they dragged her to the end of the line and stunned her. Connix collapsed onto the neighboring rebel. Rose gasped. She slapped a hand over her mouth and turned away, leaning into the shadow of storage and tools. 

She felt useless with her little electric prod, but she held onto it anyway. Her fingers ached from gripping its handle. Rose took a deep breath, the heavy humid air doing little to settle her nerves. She was just about to slip out to another hiding spot when the familiar clattering of trooper armor sent her shrinking back into her hiding spot. A trooper sat on top of the storage cube she was sitting behind, leaning back on the worktable above her. 

Rose held her breath. 

“Hey!” a voice called. She heard the trooper shift to face whoever addressed them. “Did you catch that last transmission?” 

“Your helmet still giving you feedback?” the trooper, a man, sitting right beside Rose asked. 

“Yeah,” the other trooper replied, sounding embarrassed through the static. 

“There’s a specific rebel we’re looking for- a woman with dark hair and Haysian smelt,” the trooper said. Rose quickly shoved her knuckles between her teeth, biting down on her hand to keep quiet. They were looking for her. Were they keeping records? Did they line everyone up and realize that she was missing? Was it her mission on the Supremacy? Panic filled her gut, twisting her stomach into knots. 

“What the hell is Haysian smelt?” the other trooper asked. 

“I don’t know- metal?” the trooper above her said before pushing off from the storage cube. 

“What are we supposed to do when we find her?” the trooper with the broken radio relay asked, their footsteps leading away. The static grew worse and Rose listened in hard but could only make out a slip of the other’s reply. 

“Report to-”

She pulled her hand from her teeth and hugged her shock prod close to her chest. Options were running low. Sweat dripped down her face, the heat of the planet heavy on the back of her neck. She heard movement again and peaked out at the ground- one trooper alone. He stooped near her bench, not really in a hurry to go anywhere. 

If she could take down at least one but it’d matter. 

Rose slammed her foot out from her hiding spot, her boot connecting with the trooper’s shin. He fell to his knees, his helmet suddenly in view. Rose threw herself at him, shoving her prod between his helmet and breast plating. He shook, dropping his blaster and falling to the dirt. 

She grabbed the blaster and made a wild dash through the engineering area. She didn’t think about what could happen if she turned the wrong corner. Just keep moving she told herself Keep going.

She didn’t stop until she’d slid into the mud beside the landing gear of an old X-Wing some of the ground crew had been gutting for parts. She was close to the rebels now, a stone’s throw from the nearest one forced to their knees. 

Troopers were walking up and down the line, one of them announcing to the group. 

“Where is Rose Tico?” the trooper asked, shoving his gun towards a pilot. She couldn’t hear their reply.

“Psst,” Rose hissed to the rebel nearest her- a man kneeled over his hands still firmly glued to the back of his head. “Psst!” 

The man turned and of everyone in the base it was Beaumont. In a pinch he wasn’t her first choice bit he wasn’t a trooper so he’d have to do. She rolled her prod towards him across the grass, nodding towards him to take it. 

He looked at it, then to her. She saw the decision flicker in his mind the second before he turned away waving his hands in the air. 

“Here she is!” he called, pointing to where she was kneeling below the ship. 

Kriff. She moved, launching from her hiding spot and bursting into a sprint as soon as she cleared the wing of the rundown fighter. 

Maybe, if she found Hux he’d do something. He could call off the troopers, he could… 

She was really grasping at straws, but it seemed like her only option left. A plasma beam hissed by her head as she dashed through the center of camp away from the shipyard towards the outer edge where Hux’s prison was. 

“Hey! We need her alive!” A trooper shouted at his comrade. Troops were following, their armor announcing their march. Rose grit her teeth, pushing her body faster. She jumped over a tree root and made for the path to the jail when she slammed straight into a hard, white breast plate. 

Her back slammed against the dirt, the early morning light shining right in her eyes. The beams looked blurry. She touched her forehead and her fingers came back red. She looked up at the trooper staring down at her, his blaster trained on her. He brought his mic up to his helmet. 

“Found her, sir,” he said. 

Rose scrambled, grabbing the blaster she’d taken off the other trooper and firing it. Her hands shook and the beam grazed the soldier’s side. 

“Hey!” He fired – the blast hitting her in the shoulder. The blaster fell from her hands and she curled up in the dirt, hands hovering over the wound. Her coat melted to her skin, everything a burning ache. She didn’t get a chance to cry- the trooper’s gun swung around knocking her in the temple and plunging her mind into silence.


	4. Part 2 The Finalizer Chapter 1

The cell was small. A narrow room of flat black durasteel walls. The bed was bolted to the floor close to the door, on the far end behind a short partition was a sink and a toilet. No windows. No evidence of any of the other rebels. Just durasteel and the footsteps of troopers outside. 

She’d woken up in a medical ward but she wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep for. No one would tell her. No one would tell her anything. 

Even under the heavily cooled recycled air Rose was simmering. She paced the length of her cell going over the words she was going to say to Hux once she saw him. “Filthy snake” seemed good but not strong enough. “Fucking bastard” was a nice choice but not as creative as she wanted. She figured a unique insult would come to mind once she saw his sniveling face. 

She kicked her boot against the bed frame, and then again and again until she was too tired to move anymore. She sat on the floor leaning against the wall trying to figure out where she went wrong. Was it her fault this had happened? Did she have any connection to this ambush? She couldn’t find any loose threads that might say she did but she couldn’t help but feel it deep within her chest. 

The first person to speak to her was a trooper who came to cell door after what felt like hours in solitude. He slammed binders down on her wrists and barked at her to move. She followed him, wandering the halls of the large Star Destroyer and trying to map where she might be in her schematics she drew back on Ajan Kloss. 

If those were even correct. 

After a few twists and turns the trooper escorted her to a set of double doors. They slid open revealing a room with a large sleek black table in the middle surrounded by chairs. It was a large conference for many officers to huddle around a presentation but there was only one occupant who sat at the head of the table. 

Before she could process the reunion the trooper shoved her into the room before stepping back into the hall and shutting the doors. She shifted, wiggling her wrist within the binders to keep the metal from biting into her skin. 

Rose thought vitriol would rise in her throat, that the perfect words would leave her lips automatically soothing her anger and withering her enemy. But they didn’t. She was speechless and… nervous of all things. She took a deep breath before looking up from her wrists. 

She met his eyes across the table. Sharp green eyes like how the lush green forested planets look from space. He was silent, just watching her. He still had his beard, but it had been neatly trimmed and styled like his hair. He wore his black First Order uniform, complete with black gloves. He steepled his hands in front of him, laning his elbows on the sleek table. 

_You’re burning with it._

Her knees quivered and threatened to spill her to the floor. 

“Looks like we’ve switched places, Tico,” Hux finally said from his chair. Rose swallowed hard, her heart marking out a rapid beat in her chest. She had no words, only fear and conflict and… 

And something else. Something she was certain had been extinguished while slamming her boot into durasteel in her cell, but yet lived to worm around her chest. 

“Why so quiet?” he asked, rising from his chair. He slowly made his way around the table, his boots clicking against the chrome floor. “I quite enjoy your conversation, Tico.” 

“Where are the others?” she asked, keeping her voice steady. She felt cornered by both Hux and her own thoughts. Chained and waiting for them both to consume her. For surely he meant to. He was playing with her now but as soon as he had the chance he’d do exactly what he wanted with her. 

She didn’t want to be used like that, no matter what the heat between her legs wanted. 

“It seems someone got a hold of an electro prod and when all my men were chasing after you the rebels got the upper hand,” he said, swishing the words around his mouth as if they were distasteful. “Grabbed all their little shuttles and fighters and took off.” 

“All of them?” she asked, breathless. This was not the news she was expecting. She was sure the rest of the rebellion were locked in their own cells, or worse. It was surprising for certain but good news. 

“Well, not all of them,” Hux said. “I do have you.” 

Her face grew warm and she wished her hair was pulled down from its bun or her hands were freed so she could try to hide her blush. Instead her cheeks burned in full view. Hux pulled a chair out from the table. 

“Take a seat,” he said. Rose’s eyes flickered up to his. He was grinning. 

“I’d rather stand,” she said, jutting her chin out. _Stay strong._

“Fine,” he said, his voice clipped, before he took the seat for himself. “Now, with all your little friends off of Ajan Kloss where do you think they went?” 

“I… I don’t know,” she said truthfully before slinging her own question at him. “How did you find the base?” 

“You took me to it.”

“How did your minions find it?”

“I heard it was rather easy. It’s not like your lot is exceptionally careful. Now, where did the rebels relocate-”

“I don’t know.”

_“Tico-”_

“I don’t know!” she snapped. “You saw how I worked! I barely knew who was on planet much less if there was a whole other base anywhere. The rebels are desperate, you know this. They have no backup plans, only hopes.” 

“Well,” he said calmly, carefully shoving the chair back into its place. “Thank you for your information.”

* * *

The days went on much like they had on Ajan Kloss, only in reverse. Rose would lie in her cell until a trooper knocked on her door. In binders she’d be escorted to wherever Hux was. Sometimes it was a hanger where he wanted her to work on a shuttle that was on the fritz, sometimes to the conference room to try to pull information from her much like she had back at the rebel base. They were always little chores he had found. He’d watch her, talk with her through them, and then when there was nothing else to do she’d be brought back to her cell. 

Hux wasn’t behaving how she expected. Rose thought the second he got the upper hand he’d pull something... nefarious. Instead he behaved extremely similar to how she had as a jailer. One might mistake his constant surveillance of her as mere protocol. Only they both knew a General in the First Order had no business watching over a single rebel prisoner who had no information. 

It was clear what he wanted, and yet not clear at all. 

Rose laid awake on her bunk, staring at the durasteel walls and feeling the hum of the ship around her. 

Hux had some affection for her. No, that was the wrong word. Fascination. His gaze was always on her, watching from a distance. He’d sit across the table asking a question, or wander to the edge of a hanger as she fought with a stuck shuttle door but his gaze was always on her. She could feel it burning through her clothes. And yet, she could not say she thought his fascination was purely innocent. She thought of their time on Ajan Kloss, at the sensation of his fingers brushing her cheek. And then, of course, her own dreams were brought to the forefront of her mind and she’d shove her head into her pillow and try to think of converters and wires until there was another knock on her door. 

It was weeks of this. A rhythm she was constantly anticipating would come to a halt but never did. 

Knock. Fix. Talk. Watch. Bed. Knock. Fix. Talk. Watch. Bed. Knock. Fix. Talk. Watch. Bed. Over and over. 

There was a possessiveness in the way he watched her. In how he was her sole observer once delivered to his care. And yet, she held no proof of it. No proof of his true intentions that she felt he had deep in her soul. 

Everyday she expected him to come up behind her, to feel his weight against hers, his hands on her skin. To feel his fingers pull at her clothes and his lips on her neck. She expected his lust. 

Did she expect it because of evidence, or because she wanted it? 

There was a knock at the door. She jumped out of bed, exhausted from a night of only thinking and no rest. She stepped into the hall, holding out her wrists for the trooper to clasp binders around. She walked down the hall expecting to head towards the shuttle hangers only for the trooper to grab her arm and jerk her towards a lift. They were in the capsule for a long time, longer than it took to get to any levels she had previously been on. 

“Where are we going?” she asked. 

“Silence, prisoner,” the trooper said. She bristled but said nothing. It had to be somewhere new if they would not tell her. 

The door opened and it was not the wide halls of the working levels but the narrow dim ones of personal quarters. He marched her down the hall before pausing outside a door. It was nicer than the other doors on the ship, made a dark metal with shapes pressed into it. The trooper pressed the display on the doorframe and her heart launched into her throat. 

This was it. He would finally take what he wanted from her. 

The door swished open and Hux stood there to greet them in full regalia. 

“Dismissed,” he nodded to the trooper before standing aside and motioning for her to enter. Rose paused as the sound of the trooper’s armor crunching against itself faded.

“These are your rooms?” she asked, eyeing the threshold and what she could see of the compartment from the hall. 

“Yes, much roomier than the sea of green curtains you were living in,” he said. Her cheek twitched. Rose had not forgotten how she’d brought him into her own space, and how much she regretted it. She wondered if he would do the same. “Come in, I have a chore for you.” 

Chore. What an interesting thing to call it. 

She gave in, crossing the threshold and tensing up as the door closed behind her. Her gaze flickered to a narrow door that she had no doubt led to his bedroom. Sweat pricked the back of her neck.

He walked over to a small table and flicked a holo on. The image of an X-Wing sprung to life in stuttering blue light. 

“How many of these do you think the rebels have?” he asked, looking at her through the glowing blueprint. 

“You’ve asked me this twice now, I don’t know. Most of them were wrecked before we even got to Ajan Kloss, and the ones we had there were in poor condition,” she said. She found Hux repeating himself more and more in the last two weeks. Repeating questions, taking her to the same shuttle that miraculously had the same problem it had two weeks prior. “...You saw them.”

All apart of his fascination. 

“Oh, well thank you for jogging my memory,” he said before shutting off the holo, the room dimmer without the miraculous blue glow.

“Is that it?” Rose asked.

“For now.” Hux crossed to the door, ready to call for a trooper. 

He was going to do this forever. As long as she was aboard the ship he would hover over her but never step further. She would live in purgatory forever, always waiting for him to push further but he never would. He had goaded her on Ajan Kloss. Caressed her face, snuck into her dreams, and was a constant pull. Like a planet keeping its moon in orbit, she as stuck beside Hux. 

She wished he’d do it. He had toyed with her so long. Telling her everything she didn’t want to hear when he was a prisoner and then ignoring all of it as a jailer. Even at his whim he stilled played games with her. Even in his own room he made her anticipate it. 

Something inside of her snapped. Whatever was burning turned the structures holding her together to ash. 

“Why don’t you just do it!” she snapped. 

He paused, his gloved hand hovering over the console and falling to his side. She thought the words would ease the tension inside of her but it only grew. Her chest tightened, like a thread pulled too tightly and wrinkling the fabric. He was silent for what felt like a long while. It could have been only a moment or so but it was long enough for Rose to second guess everything she had ever said. 

“Do what?” he asked, green eyes flashing at her.

Rose bit down on her bottom lip to keep any further words from escaping. 

“No, Tico. Tell me what you want me to do,” he moved forward, his boots tapping against the floor. He was on the lean side but she barely came to his shoulder. Just like when she stood in his cell, his wrists freed from shackles, she realized how much larger he was than her. She wanted to step back but she stood her ground, raising her chin despite the shame and want that swirled in her stomach. 

“You’ve gone quiet again, Tico,” he said, stopping in front of her, a small grin gracing his lips. “What have you been waiting for me to do?” 

She met his eye but couldn’t find the words, they were all stuck in her throat. He searched her eyes for a moment. Her eyes fell to his lips. His tongue slipped out, wetting his lips. It was an enchanting movement. One she wanted to see again. However before she could he shrugged and turned away. 

“I guess I’ll never know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe and wash your hands <3


	5. Chapter 2

Rose paced the length of her narrow cell, thinking through the last few weeks as a prisoner. She thought of the shame weighing her down at every moment and of the image of Hux licking his lips.

She spent the day thinking about it, and after a few fitful hours of sleep, spent the early morning mulling over it as well. 

What did she want Hux to do? She had known for a while, but never able to admit it to herself and much less out loud. It was something she could never want- not if she wanted others to respect her. Or to respect herself. But here in these close walls she could think of nothing else. 

She closed her eyes and saw his mouth. Pink lips smirking at her. 

She knew what she wanted. She had always known. It was always there, in the back of her mind gnawing at her. She pushed it away because it was selfish and shallow to want such a thing.

However, if there was any time to be selfish, now was it. 

Rose sat on the edge of her bed and took in a large breath. It felt good to stretch her chest, to feel a dull ache in her ribs. Like crawling under a A-Wing, or pulling herself out of cockpit she felt back in her own skin. Rose Tico was not someone who was used to ignoring parts of herself. She was open with the world, often too open and it felt wrong to shove an emotion away daylight. 

A knock echoed through her cell. She stood by the door ready as it slid open. She shoved her arms out, taking the binders willingly and marched with the troopers down the hall, focused. 

They took her to their usual conference room. That would suit her needs just fine. The door slid open and Hux sat at the table a few files spread out in front of him, a holo of a planet vanishing as they made their entrance. He tapped against a datapad, a slip of pale wrist exposed between his sleeve and glove. 

Rose fidgeted, conscious of the troopers behind her. 

“Dismissed,” Hux said, his eyes focused down at the screen in his hand. The door closed with a hushed noise leaving her alone with him. It was obviously not the first time Rose had been alone with Hux. They had spent many hours on Ajan Kloss and on the Finalizer playing at being jailers. 

Only this time she intended to make use of it. 

“Tico, you’ll be thrilled to hear I have questions concerning shields. As dull as that sounds to me, I know you take some joy in that sort of-” he wrinkled his nose at his datapad before Rose cut him off. 

“I’ve been waiting for you to touch me,” she said, without any prelude. He paused, looking up from his screen. The air in the room changed as his eyes met hers. He didn’t speak so she continued, rushing the words out before she thought better of it. “The whole time I’ve been here I’ve been waiting for the day you finally press me against a wall and pull my clothes off.” 

He shifted in his seat, the muscles in his jaw flexing. 

“I’ve been waiting to feel your weight on top of me,” she said, her cheeks flushing as she spoke. Heat burned within her, her words only fanning the flames threatening to consume her. 

“Waiting?” he asked. His voice was softer than she was expecting. 

“Wanting,” she corrected. 

“So, you do burn,” he said, with a small smirk. He rose from his chair, his datapad long forgotten. His eyes scanned her, taking her in from head to toe. “Stand by the table and face me.” 

Rose kept his gaze and slowly walked past him. She stood before the table, her body shivering as she waited for his next move. He was next to her in an instant and picked her up to seat her on the edge of the table. Her bottom hung precariously at the edge of the table while her feet dangled, unable to touch the ground for security. He pushed against her shoulder as he gently guided her to lie back on the table. He grabbed the metal binders connecting her wrists and pulled them over her head. A click of a button and they snapped to the table like a magnet. She tugged at them but its hold was too strong. 

He leaned over her, a gloved hand plucking the buttons of her shirt open one by one. 

“Oh, how I’ve waited for this,” he whispered, more to himself than her. Her shirt fell open, the fabric hanging at her sides. Gloved fingers pressed against her ribs before moving up to cup her breasts. She gasped, arching under his touch. 

She didn’t expect such a reaction, but she had not anticipated that it would feel so good after imagining it for so long. 

“You’re so eager for it,” he said, breathlessly, leaning down to press a kiss between her breasts above her heart. “I’ve barely touched you and you’re a shivering wreck.” 

Rose bit her bottom lip. He was right. Her whole body trembled under his hands, wanting more of it. He brushed her medallion aside and dragged kisses up her sternum, placing one in the hollow of her throat. He mumbled something into her skin that she could not make out. 

Then he leaned back, his fingers at her belt unhooking its latch and pulling it free from her pants. His hands moved quickly undressing her- not sloppily, but calculated. As if he had imagined how he would do it before the moment occurred. 

He brought his hand to his own lips, biting down on the edge of his glove and pulling it off with his teeth. His bare fingers rested on her ribs as he removed his other glove and they burned into her skin. She wanted that sensation everywhere, to feel his fingers on every inch of her and burst into flames beneath his touch. 

He threw his gloves aside before shrugging his coat off. He leaned across her again, laying a kiss on her stomach before looking up at her. 

“What do you want me to do to you?” he asked, his voice low. Rose shivered as if his voice had physically touched her. She pulled at her restraints wanting to be apart of the action, wanting to run her fingers over his skin and tug at his uniform until his entire being was revealed. He pressed kisses lower, pulling at her pants to expose more of her abdomen to his lips. “Tell me what you want.”

“Fuck me,” she gasped. She shut her eyes, thinking not of the cold metal beneath her but of only the warm kisses trailing down her body. “I want you inside of me.” 

He grabbed the waistband of her pants and pulled them down her legs, her hanging feet. He kissed her knees and down her ankles as he revealed the skin.

She was cold and exposed, trembling with anticipation. Her eyes were still shut, she felt his presence close by- his breath on her thighs, the smell of a musty cologne filling her nostrils. Her knees were pushed apart to accommodate the span of his clothed hips. His bare fingers traced the opening between her legs, almost slipping in between the folds. She hissed, pulling at her wrist binders. 

Hux caged her body with his own, his fingers still stroking her opening. He laid kisses on her neck as he slowly worked against her, swirling his fingertips across the sensitive bundle of nerves and running them across her opening. She squirmed beneath his weight, skin flushed, and out of breath. 

Rose burned under his touch, her legs clenched around his waist as he finally slipped his fingers inside of her. She threw her head back, opening her eyes to look at the conference room upside down around them. 

“Please,” she begged in a weak whisper. “I want you.” 

“You have me,” he mumbled against her neck, then she heard the jingle of his belt unhooking and dropping to the floor. Anticipation whirled through her. She looked down between their bodies where his shirt hid much of the view. His hand gripped her thigh, pressing her legs open and his other holding himself to her entrance. 

His green eyes caught hers as he pushed inside of her. 

Rose cried out, whether it was words or just noise she was unsure. Her entire body throbbed as he pressed into her, desperate for the fullness she had been dreaming about for months. His own moan escaped his lips as he moved inside of her. Once he had completely sheathed himself within her he paused. There was sweat rolling down his brow and his eyes were half closed. 

He felt pleasure. A comfort so intense he could barely move. And she had given it to him. It made her toes curl and her walls clench tighter around him. 

It made no sense. None of it. But God it felt so good. 

“Fuck me,” she begged. Then he was moving inside of her, his hands holding her thighs as he thrust in and out of her shaking the table beneath them. 

With each pound of his hips Rose felt all thought and reason leave her body. There was only fire and touch. Only clear green eyes and the scorching touch of his hands against her skin. She wanted more of him, of everything that he could give her. 

“Oh Tico,” he moaned, pressing deep within her. 

“Rose,” she said between snaps of his hips. “Call me Ro- _Ohh_ ”

His hands gripped the sides of her waist. He thrust into her over and over, a rough reckless pattern that she tried to match. Rose kept her legs around around his waist, pulling him deeper when he thrust forward, matching his speed as the friction built inside of her and she could no longer focus on the ceiling above her or even the room she was in. 

There was only pleasure at Hux’s hand. Red hot pleasure streaked with swirls of green like marbles.

“Rose,” he muttered over and over again, even after it became more of a moan than a word. “Rose, _oh Rose_.” 

Her entire body jerked, rigid beneath him as pleasure rocked through her. Rose gasped, her hips twitching before falling back to the table, her climax tipping over some perilous peak that she was more than happy to fall from. Hux pressed deeper, picking up his pace as he chased his own peak. It came quickly, his hips losing their steady rhythm until they jerked into her and stopped. He shuddered, his mouth hanging open as he finished right after her. 

He collapsed on top of her, his cheek pressed against her breast. Rose caught her breath, her whole-body limp from being held so tightly for so long. Hux, as tired as he looked, reached up, pressing a button on Rose’s binders. Only they didn’t release her from the table but the binders sprung open, her wrists freed. She pulled her arms down and then, as if she had done it a million times before, wrapped them around Armitage Hux. 

There was no shame in her gut. Even as he helped her off the table and she fumbled with the buttons of her shirt. Even as he pressed in closer to press a quick kiss to her neck. Even as a trooper came and escorted her back to her cell. There wasn’t an ounce of shame. 

But shouldn’t there be? 

She laid on her bunk staring at the corner of the room and while she knew she should be berating herself for such behavior she could only think of how he had felt moving inside of her, stretching her to a fullness that left her content. How the sensation of their bodies moving together felt completely and utterly right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe y'all ❤️


	6. Chapter 3

She woke up to the usual knocking. Rose threw herself out of bed and followed the usual routine- the binders snapped into place around her wrists and she was escorted down the hall. She was hoping they’d make a turn for the lift but marched her down the hanger instead. 

The room was empty but for the shuttle sitting useless in the middle of the room. Reluctantly, she grabbed her tools and stepped inside of it. The troopers chatted with one another in Hux’s absence, talking about different shifts and how the food in the mess hall seemed to be getting worse. Rose didn’t pay much attention to what she was doing. It was easier to avoid doing real work on the shuttle than it was to avoid giving information about the rebels. Just knock a wrench about or solder wires together for extra flair. 

The door slid open and a loud “dismissed” rang through the hanger. The troopers were already filing out of the door by the time Rose shifted to poke her head out of the shuttle’s bay ramp. The hanger’s door had closed and Hux was walking towards her quickly. At the sight of him heat grew between her legs. She ducked back into the shuttle, concealing the blush that was encompassing her entire face. 

What do you do when the last time you saw a First Order General you were coming on his cock? She didn’t know the protocol for it. 

She jumped as he joined her in the shuttle, slamming his hand in the durasteel beside her head. He wasted no time, immediately pressing his lips to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Rose shivered under his touch, slumping against the shuttle wall. 

“Take off your clothes,” he muttered against her skin. She shivered but moved to do so, only to find her binders in the way. 

“My hands,” she muttered, throwing her head back to expose more of her neck for his mouth to ravage. He pulled back a moment, tapping the binders until they released and fell to the floor. He kicked them out of the way, closing the distance between them and pressing her flush against the wall. Her freed hands went to his shoulders where she pushed his thick coat off of them. He pulled away to shrug the garment off, then to her surprise he grabbed at her shirt and yanked it open. Buttons flew across the shuttle, falling through the grated floors but she couldn’t care. She ran her fingers around the high collar of his shirt before tugging it open, exposing the pale white of his throat and collarbone. 

Hands were everywhere as they pulled off their clothes. Rose had tugged off every piece of cloth on her, the only things that remained were her boots and her medallion hanging from her neck. Hux’ shirt hung open, his chest exposed. Rose ran her hands up his ribs and the planes of his chest as he kissed a spot right behind her ear that made her moan, the sound echoing off the hanger walls. They stumbled through the shuttle until they reached the pilot’s seat. Hux fell into it and pulled Rose onto his lap. She leaned in, pressing her mouth to his neck. He tasted like rain. He jerked under her kisses, moaning her name as she reached a spot in the middle of his throat beside his Adam’s apple. His chant of her name turned to nonsense as he wiggled underneath her, his fingers gripping her hips. She licked the tender skin, biting down on it. He groaned, his hips bucking up against her. 

She pulled away, frantic hands tugging at his pants until she freed his erection. She hadn’t seen much of him the night before and now took in the sight of his body. His cock was hard and pale, the head pink and seeping precum. His red hair was natural as it matched the color growing at the base of his cock. She took him in her hand and he whimpered. She smiled, raising herself to her knees over him before lowering herself on top of him. She was wet and he pushed in easily. She dropped herself flat to his lap and watched his reaction as she took him fully inside of her. 

His head was thrown back against the chair, his eyes half closed and his face shiny with sweat. Every time she shifted he moaned, his cock twitching inside of her. They settled into a rhythm, Rose bobbing up and down on his cock. She closed her eyes, gripping his shoulders as she impaled herself on him over and over. She could feel her medallion knocking against her breasts. 

“Oh Rose,” he moaned. “Rose, you’re perfect.” 

She kept her eyes closed, pushing them faster towards her peak. His hands squeeze her rear, alternating between massaging her and clawing into her. 

“God, Rose!” 

Her body jerked, her nails digging into his shoulders as her orgasm ripped through her body. He followed shortly after, bucking up inside of her and shuddering as he came. 

They caught their breath, aftershocks still tingling through Rose’s body. 

“Open your eyes,” he said. Rose paused. She had forgotten they were closed. Slowly she opened them, looking down at Hux beneath her. His pale skin was flushed, his shoulders scratched and red from gripping on to him. He reached up, caressing her cheek. It was such a tender touch that her mouth hung open as she tried to formulate a response. 

She found herself silent as she lost herself in sea green eyes. 

She had lusted after this man, that she would admit to. The way he held himself, the sharpness of his tone and his bone structure- despite her common sense there was something about his body that called to her. Yet now, sitting naked astride his lap she felt something else. 

Something she couldn’t acknowledge or else the Rose Tico she knew herself to be would dissolve into nothing. 

She collapsed against him, throwing her chin over his shoulder to hide her face. He could read her like a book, or so she felt, and she did not dare let him see her feeling as vulnerable as she did. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close to him. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. 

She clung to him, pretending to be winded from their physical activity but it was emotion that had taken her breath away. 

Eventually, they parted. Rose found her clothes thrown about the shuttle, holding them close to her body to hide herself before she was able to actually dress. It felt stupid and unnecessary as he’d already seen her. But she needed something between his eyes and herself. A barrier to hide behind even if it was a shirt that could not close, its buttons lost in the depths of the shuttlecraft. 

“Here,” Hux said, shrugging off his coat and holding it out for her to slip her arms into. Rose hesitated. She didn’t want him to be nice to her. She wanted him to leave without a second thought. It would be easier to push him from her mind that way. She swallowed back her protestations and slipped into it. The heavy wool weighed on her shoulders, the hem dragging the floor. She wrapped it around her form, concealing the useless shirt beneath it. His warmth and scent in the coat overwhelmed her and left her heady for him. 

He locked her wrists into the binders and walked her back to her cell. She received a few odd looks from personnel in the hallway but if they had anything to say they didn’t speak up. Rose was well aware of what it looked like and, in a way, they were right to presume. 

He pulled her into the cell, freeing her wrists from their shackles but holding onto her hand with his own. His thumb ran across the back of her hand and Rose felt her heart leap into her throat. 

“You can keep the jacket,” he said before stepping out and leaving her behind. 

Rose stood frozen in her cell, clutching the thick black coat around her shoulders. She felt she was stuck sliding down a slippery slope with nothing to stop her descent. Hux, at first, had been a curiosity, and then something intriguing. Then an object of desire. He was handsome in a dangerous way that made her knees weak. At first she had tried to deny it but she gave in each time. To the questions, to the caring, then to the lust. And each time it felt like she was chipping at a wall, learning what may be stored behind it. Now she had drilled too far. There was something beyond lust that stirred in her belly, but it was the one thing she refused to acknowledge. She could be selfish with the desires of her body, but with her heart she had to be upstanding. Taking pleasure from an enemy was one thing, the need gnawing at her chest was beyond the point she was willing to go. 

And yet she kept the coat around her shoulders. Even as she went to bed, she brought the collar close to her nose and inhaled his scent thinking again and again of how good it felt to have his skin against her own.

* * *

He came for her himself the next morning. Without a proper shirt to wear she kept his coat buttoned around her and when he spotted her he grinned. He followed the same protocols- binders firmly latched around her wrists and quietly escorting her through the corridors. They were silent in the lift up to the officer quarters. Rose snuck a glance over at him and wondered if he was feeling the same roar of thoughts inside of his head as she was. 

They arrived in his quarters where he immediately went to remove her shackles. Panic flooded her stomach. If she was unbound in his quarters then they would be friends, something other than what they were. Whether that was entirely true was yet to be seen but Rose was convinced of it. Convinced that as soon as the metal left her wrists that all her thoughts would swell out of her and she’d have to confront the thought she was so desperate to ignore. She yanked the binders out of his grip without much thought as to where the action would lead. 

Hux paused. Green eyes began to examine her, and Rose would not allow such an x-ray of her heart. 

“Not yet,” she said quickly, her eyes darting to the door to his bedroom. “I- I want to play the General and the helpless rebel prisoner.”

For a moment she thought he saw through it, but he raised a brow and she knew he’d taken the bait. 

He took her bound hands and led her to his bedroom. It was larger than her cell but with little decoration. A large bed with dark gray sheets, a closet neatly arranged, and a window showing off the smear of stars passing outside. Rose quickly moved to the bed, sitting at the foot of it, letting his jacket fall open revealing her naked chest. She set her feet apart, holding her hands above her head, mimicking the first time they had come together. 

“Come take your prize,” she said. 

“Oh, I intend to.” Only he did not jump on her as she had intended for him to do. Instead he kneeled between her legs. Slowly he untied her boots and pulled them off before unfastening her belt and pulling at her pants. She shifted, dropping her wrists to hold them against her chest. 

His hands settled on her thighs. His hands were colder than she thought they would be and she gasped. He looked up at her, catching her eye as he slid his hands up her thighs spreading her legs wider. Then he pressed his mouth to her and her heart skipped a beat. Rose fell onto her back, staring up at the ceiling of Hux’s bedroom as he kissed her between her thighs, his tongue swirling around, brushing every sensitive nerve she had. She gasped as he pressed his nose against her. Her knees clenched together by instinct and she felt him chuckle against her. 

She stretched out on his sheets, lost in the pleasure mounting inside. The slow, luxurious feeling of his lips on her, his tongue stretching across her clit and his hands gripping her hips. Rose arched her back, moaning. She stretched, her wrists above her, tossing her head back and forth against the blankets as he increased his speed but did not lose an ounce of his attention. He had learned rather quickly which movements made her squirm, which ones elicited a moan, and what flicks of his tongue made her thighs clap around his ears. 

Rose was lost in it. In being adored and utterly pleasured. It was what she wanted. His lips on hers, an orgasm in the chamber. She had wanted this. 

She turned her head and a beam of light caught her eye. On his bedside table sat a small mirror that was catching the starlight from the window. The one that had sat in her storage cube for months at the bottom of the pile. In a room without so much as a holo or a medal of personal achievement, her mirror was displayed. 

And suddenly it was impossible to ignore the feeling worming around in her chest. 

“I want you,” she said abruptly, sitting up. He lifted his head, his lips and chin glistening with her juices. 

“Wha-”

“I can’t wait,” she said, grabbing the front of his shirt and hauling him up onto the bed. It was hard to maneuver with her wrists bound between them but she found a way and tugged at his belt. 

“Rose wait-” 

“I need you inside me, Armitage,” she said, desperately. His eyes glazed over and then he was the one pulling at his belt. She opened his shirt which he shrugged off and threw aside. He pressed inside of her and Rose quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, digging her heels into his lower back to press him further into her. He groaned, catching himself before the entire thing ended too abruptly. 

If she could lose herself in his body it would all go away. If she focused on lust nothing else could get through. 

“Hold on,” he muttered, leaning over her with his head bowed. She turned her head and looked at the mirror again. Its metal was scratched. There was a larger mirror beside his closet. And yet the one from her cube was still there, taunting her with thoughts she refused to feel. Teasing with the idea that someone else in the galaxy might feel some way in return. 

She couldn’t afford to believe that. 

“Armitage! Fuck me!” she cried out, throwing her wrists over his head so her binders rested against the back of his neck. He bucked into her and she focused on that. The friction of their bodies, the heat between them, and the pure physical thoughts she had for him. 

Only physical. Only physical. 

The bed shook as he thrust into her over and over. She closed her eyes but when she did, she saw the mirror again, reflecting soft green eyes back at her. Her eyes stung. 

“Rose!” he cried out and with a jerk of his hips he came. 

It wasn’t only physical, and it shattered her entire world. 

He pulled out and rolled to lay beside her, his arm pulling her into an embrace, but Rose jumped up from the bed grabbing her pants off the floor. 

“Wait,” he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back towards the bed. “It’s your turn, my dear.” 

_My dear._ She felt bile rise in her throat even as her heart slammed against her breast ready to accept the endearment. 

“I’m fine,” she said tugging away from him and awkwardly pulling her pants on with binders still clasped around her wrist. 

There was a pause where, even if with her back turned to him, she could feel the cogs click into place. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

She wished it had been any other question- “what’s wrong with you?” was what she was expecting. Not _are you okay_. She could not lie to such a question. She spun around to face him. 

“Am I okay?” she asked, emotion welling up in her throat. “I don’t know, am I a prisoner of the empire that ruined my life and my planet? That murdered my sister and my friends?” 

The words came out in a rush and there was no stopping them once it began, the floodgates refused to hold back for a collapsing dam.

“I don’t know where the rebellion is, or if they’re even alive,” she said. The first tear fell down her cheek. 

“Rose-”

“Don’t call me that! You’re not my friend!” she shouted. Hux’s jaw tensed, his nostrils flaring as he took in a calm breath. 

“I care about you-”

How dare he use that word. 

“If you did, you wouldn’t be like this! You would fight with me, not against me!” she seethed. “You’re a coward!” 

“I’m realistic.” 

“Call yourself what you want but a coward is still a coward,” she said. 

“What do you want me to do? Defect? Crueler men will only take my place. I can’t make everyone kind hearted. That’s not how the galaxy works.”

“That’s not what I-”

“You say you want to change things, that people can change things. I can change things. I hold planets in the palm of my hand and have Dreadnoughts waiting on my command. I can implement any kind of change I want! You know how I got that power?” He was seething, his voice never raising to a yell but his voice full of venom. “By being a damn coward.” 

They went quiet. Hux turned away grabbing his pants from the floor and shoving them on. He brushed past her into the main room. She followed watching as he pressed the control panel and beckoned a trooper to come escort her back to her cell. When he was done he turned to her, his face flushed red not with lust but with anger. 

She was right to push him away. As many times as he may touch her with kindness, there was still evil in his heart. No man could wear the First Order’s sigil above his heart without it being completely poisoned. 

It was good to be reminded of this. That some A-Wings are too broken to be repaired. 

“Are you proud of it?” she asked.

“Of what?” 

“Of everything you’ve done,” Rose lifted a hand, palm up as if holding a ball. “Of the planets in your hand?” 

His jaw flexed, his green eyes cold and shut off. 

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe guys ❤️


	7. Chapter 4

Without Hux constantly asking for her, there was nothing for Rose to do. She didn’t even leave her cell now but stayed with its close walls. She had shed his coat as soon as she had her wrists free to, tossing it the corner of the room and ignoring it. She took the ends of her buttonless shirt and tied them together, so they at least covered her breasts. 

She did a lot of pacing and a lot of thinking. 

Strategy wise, this had not been her best moment. But Rose Tico did not live her life for strategy. There was nothing to be won. It could be said she followed her gut instinct instead- to call out bad behavior and disassociate herself with someone with horrid actions. 

And yet she found herself waiting for a knock on her door. Thinking about his face, his voice. And eventually picking up his coat from the corner and huddling underneath it on her bunk. 

She’d messed everything up and she would die alone in the cell before she’d be able to admit it. 

A section of the door slid open and a tray was passed inside. The same congealed gruel it had been for days. When she was fiddling with a shuttle or talking in the conference room she ate with Hux- fruit from planets they passed and fresh meat. She missed it. 

She told herself this was better. They probably killed for that fruit and destroyed worlds for resources. Eating gruel was better than being complicit.

And yet after a week and a half of nothing but gray walls and gruel her stomach flipped. She let the trays come and go untouched, the days slide by without rising from bed. 

She thought about the mirror on Hux’s side table and her chest ached. 

Fascination had been the wrong word, she knew that now. And no matter what felt he towards her Rose’s heart still beat with affection for green eyes. 

She felt broken. She either loved men who would never return it, or men who should never be loved. 

There was a knock at her door and she didn’t move. Another tray, she assumed. She’d told a trooper to stop bringing them but it must be protocol because they kept showing up. Instead the entire door slid open and a trooper stood in the threshold. 

“You’re the engineer?” a woman’s voice asked. Rose could hear the fear in the question. 

“Yes?” Rose said, sitting up. 

“How much do you know about SJFS-200a sublight ion engines?”

Rose smiled. 

“Plenty.”

* * *

Rose stood in the hanger among a huddle of whispering engineers and troopers. She’d arrived half hidden in Hux’s coat but was now in a borrowed black jumpsuit. She sat beside the shuttle, surrounded by removed panels looking up at the engine. It seemed the repair crew had spent the better part of the day trying to diagnose the problem but could not find one. It simply wouldn’t turn on. Rose herself had been on the case for two hours already. Her jumpsuit was smeared with grease, her knuckles red and torn from fumbling around inside the hull, and yet for all of that she had nothing to show her work. 

“Try it again,” she said motioning to the pilot who sat bored in the cockpit. They all took a step back and watched as the engine, for a single moment, flashed to life before sputtering to a stop again. They all sighed. She shook her head. This didn’t make sense. “It can’t be the engine.” 

“Of course, it’s the engine,” an older woman said, her jumpsuit sleeves tied around her waist. “The fuel lines are new, the console panel has been dissected and put back together-”

“But the engine is perfect,” Rose said, looking at the lump of metal that was causing them so many problems. 

“We’re all dead,” a young man said from his place lying on the floor.

“Oh, come on, it’s just a shuttle craft,” Rose said before crawling beneath the ship to stare up at the engine. 

“It’s not the ship, it’s who owns it,” the boy groaned. “Honestly, he’s been on a terror tour for the last week.” 

Must have been Kylo Ren’s shuttle. It looked like a commander’s ship and everyone in the galaxy was aware of his great temper. The good news was that life could not get much worse for Rose. Let Kylo Ren come yell at her, she’d just be thankful to be out of her cell.

She inspected the underside but found nothing that would cause such an error. She crawled back out, chewing on the inside of her cheek and staring at the shuttle with a hard eye. She tossed her toolkit on the floor, wiping the dirt from her hands. 

“Turn it back on,” she asked. The others groaned but she kept an eye trained on the engine. It sprung it life before it was cut off again like every time- except for one thing. Her toolkit she had left near the engine slid across the floor to her boot. “Kriff- I know what it is!” 

“What?” Everyone lurched forward from their pity parties, ready to listen. 

“Turn off the shields and try again,” she said. The pilot gave her a look through the glass before following instructions. The engine sprang to life and- stayed on. 

“Kriffing stars,” the older woman said. 

“The shield field must have gotten knocked about- adjust those and you’ll be fine,” Rose said smiling. The young man jumped up and pulled her into a hug. 

“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you so much.” 

“No problem,” she smiled. It was good to fix something again. To take something broken and put it back into working order. 

“HE’S COMING!” Someone shouted from beside the hanger door. 

“Kriff!” the young man yelled, pulling away from her before realizing that Rose shouldn’t be there at all. “Hide.” 

Rose ran around the shuttle, aiming for the bay ramp until the hanger door slid open. She slammed her back against the hull, hopeful that the corner of the ship hid her well enough. As little as she had left to lose, she didn’t want to earn a lightsaber to the gut. 

“Report.” 

It was not Kylo Ren who had walked into the hanger, instead the voice made goosebumps rise on her forearms. Rose couldn’t help herself, she leaned around the side of the shuttle to catch a glimpse of him. His beard was gone, his jaw clean shaven. The engineers scrambled into formation to greet him. He wore a crease between his brow and her first thought was how much she’d like to smooth it over. 

Kriff, her heart would get her killed. 

“We’re happy to report, General Hux, that we have identified the fault in your shuttle and it will be fixed before the day is done,” the older woman said. The other engineers exchanged looks, relieved that the fix came just in time. 

“Took you long enough,” he said, taking a step towards the shuttle. Rose ducked out of sight but listened intently to his boots clicking against the floor. 

“It was the shields, General, but the fix is rather simple,” the woman went on. “It shouldn’t take any longer than-”

“Where do you get this?” His voice was cold. 

The entire mood in the hanger shifted. It felt as if the temperature had dropped. 

“General?” 

“This coat where do you get it?” he demanded sharply. Rose winced. She had left Hux’s overcoat on a crate when she had changed into the engineering jumpsuit. “Answer me.” 

“General, I don’t know-”

“You’ll all be in the brig in a moment if I don’t hear who brought this here in-”

“It was me,” Rose said, stepping out from behind the shuttle. “It’s mine.” 

Hux stood frozen, the coat he’d given her clutched in one of his fists. His jaw flexed. 

“Who,” his voice was low but dangerous, his eyes glued on Rose “-took this prisoner from their cell without proper clearance?” 

A silence fell over the hanger. 

“She was the one who fixed it, General,” the young man spoke up. Hux turned his sharp glare on the boy. 

“What’s your name?” he demanded. 

“Tolts, sir,” the boy said hesitantly. 

“Report to the detention area immediately, _Tolts_ ,” he hissed. 

“Hux.” Before she could think better of the action, Rose rushed forward. She took Hux’s free hand in both of hers. He turned his cold gaze on her. When she spoke, it was a whisper intended just for him. “Please, don’t.”

He paused, taking her in. Then he pulled his fingers from her grip. 

“Fix my shuttle, Tolts,” he said before turning to her. “And take the prisoner back to her cell.”

“Wait-” Rose protested as a trooper came up to grab her arm. She yanked out of their grasp, following Hux as he neared the door. He paused looking at her with a gaze so cold her words froze her in her throat. She struggled around the block ice, finally speaking. “T-thank you, for sparing him.”

The trooper caught up with her, roughly grabbing her by the arm and saying something to his companion. She didn’t listen, she was watching Hux. He watched her, his lips parting slightly as if he might speak. Instead he pressed them in a firm line and turned away disappearing into the hallway.

* * *

She missed the coat. Even with the engineering suit over her clothes her cell was cold. Rose didn’t realize how attached she had become to it until it was gone. 

Maybe she wasn’t just thinking of the coat. 

She picked at the gruel delivered daily, but only when the pains in her stomach were too much to ignore. There was nothing to do, nothing to fight for in her cell. Rose dragged her finger across the durasteel walls drawing out the engine of an X-wing to keep her mind occupied. In the end it was just smears on the wall. 

A few days after the hanger incident, Rose wasn’t sure exactly of the time it was hard to keep track of in her cell, a trooper came to her door. Binders clicked into place around her wrists and she was led down the hall. The metal was loose on her arms and the soldier kept yanking her forward as her pace slowed. After lying around for days, it was hard to keep up. Rose was so focused on not falling as she was pulled forward, she didn’t notice the path they took. When the door opened on the conference room it came as a complete surprise. It was empty. The trooper marched her over to a chair, pulling her wrists onto the table to attach them to a lock. There was a click and she was shackled in place. The trooper left without a word and Rose took the moment to enjoy the fresh air and bright light of a room that wasn’t a jail. 

She looked at the table. It was triangular, shaped like the Star Destroyer that it was inside. Clever. 

She caught her reflection in the polished surface and almost didn’t recognize herself. Her cheeks were gaunt, and dark circles ringed her eyes. She knew she didn’t feel great but she didn’t realize what being cooped up in her cell had done to her body. Rose had never been one to let her emotions overtake basic needs. She’d seen her sister struggle, especially back home. She used to have to help her wash the grime from her face, reminding her to eat, even pointing out that she needed sleep. Paige was a soul governed by emotion, and the First Order had made it hard to live with such a heart. Rose touched the medallion above her heart. Its twin was gone now. Burnt to nothing in the void of space. 

Rose had always been the practical one. The fixer. She was finding it harder to maintain her own upkeep than another’s. She was a watcher, a guardian, a mechanic, and a friend. A loner, however, she was not. 

“You haven’t been eating,” a voice said from behind her. She jumped, tugging at her cuffs to turn around. Hux stood with a tray in his hands. Steam wafted up from roasted meat. Her eyes flickered immediately to the food, a rumble sounding in her stomach, before quickly turning away. She stared at her reflection in the table listening to Hux’s footsteps. He took the seat across from her, the narrow part of the star destroyer’s design between them. He placed the tray on the table and slid it over. She didn’t move. 

There was a pause. He sighed. Rose kept her eyes on the table. 

There was a click and she looked up as blue light spilled through the room. She blinked, looking at the holo hovering between them. It was a planet. She watched it rotate on its axis before her heart jumped into her throat.

Hays Minor.

The last time she’d seen it it’d been on a transport out of the system. Her fingers twitched to grab her necklace but stayed locked in place by durtasteel. She knew the curve of the metal would match the planet but it had no partner to complete it anymore.

Rose went cold. There was only one reason the First Order cared about her little home in the far reaches of the system.

“What are you going to do to it?” she asked, peering through the planet. The harsh blue light threw shadows across Hux’s face showing off just how gaunt his cheeks were without his beard to hide them. Dark shadows pooled under his eyes. His jaw tensed.

“Whatever I want to,” he said before nudging the tray towards her. Rose looked down at the food- a bowl of stew with chunks of flaky white meat, dark green plants, and a sprinkling of a blue salt. It wasn’t anything she’d had before but it smelled delicious. She paused, looking from the stew to the planet hovering between them.

“Are you… threatening to destroy my planet if I don’t eat?” she asked. The idea was so surprising she couldn’t even be frustrated. She was bewildered.

Hux’s eyes wandered around the room. “That depends if you comply with my demands.”

“Demands?” Rose laughed. She grabbed the spoon off the tray and dipped it into the stew. “Call off your dreadnoughts, General, I’ll comply.”

She slipped the food into her mouth and while he turned away to turn off the hologram she didn’t miss his smile. The meat in the stew was salty and tender. She eagerly shoveled more into her mouth.

It didn’t feel normal. There was no ordinary between Hux and herself. There was the heights of passion and the heat of hatred. But it felt like old times back on the base, sitting at her workbench while Hux sneered at rebels that passed by. If they had a normal, this was it. Their words still hung in the air between them. 

Rose wished she could go back and shut her damn mouth. 

She looked up at him as she chewed, watching as graceful fingers danced over the holochrom’s controls. 

“I’d suggest please next time,” Rose said, prodding at him. Hoping for the Hux on Ajan Kloss. 

“Do I look like a man who says please?” Hux said raising an eyebrow.

Rose almost blurted out _I could make you_ but bit her tongue. She had given up that privilege. 

She swallowed her stew and wondered what would happen if she ever reached the resistance again. Would they ask questions? Would she answer them? That was if she could even get off this ship, which was looking less and less like a possibility. 

Funnily enough she had not considered leaving until now. It made the familiar burn of shame rise in her throat and she quickly shoved another spoonful of stew in her mouth. Her eyes met Hux’s where he sat across the table watching her. 

“This is good,” she said. 

“It’s from my planet, Arkanis,” he said. “I can’t say I have many fond memories from there, but this is one of them.” 

Rose paused. Her spoon hovering over the bowl yet to reach her lips. It was a painfully personal thing to admit, especially from Hux of all people. 

“I’m not trying to catch you off guard so wipe that suspicious look off your face,” he said, his lips settling into a frown. 

“Then what are you trying to do?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. 

There was a moment where he looked at her, his lips parted, and she thought she was going to see further into him. There was a glimmer in his eye that quickly vanished and the sliver of his soul that had been briefly exposed was gone. 

“Ensuring a political prisoner doesn’t starve herself,” he said sternly. Rose smirked. 

“I think you’re the only one on this entire ship that would consider me a political prisoner,” she said. 

“Then you undervalue yourself.” 

“I’m no one, Hux,” she said, stabbing her utensil back into the bowl. “I don’t even know where the resistance is now. I have nothing to offer.” 

He placed a gloved hand on the table, a finger twitching forward as if he might reach for her. Instead he withdrew it and stood up, leaving her alone in the conference room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe friends 💜


	8. Chapter 5

The food delivered to her cell completely changed after that day. Instead of the usual lumpy gray mess that stuck to the tray it was hot meat and vegetables with noodles smothered in a vibrant red sauce. She knew who it was from; even if a nameless trooper brought it into her cell, she knew who had given the order. 

She was thankful- for good food or to be thought of, she wasn’t sure. Her world had gotten so small so quickly. She used to cross the galaxy with the rebels, had seen so much of the universe. But Ajan Kloss had shrunk it all down, then Finalizer had closed it in further.

Would she still feel a tasty lunch was a kind gesture outside of the durasteel walls? It was easy to call any gesture towards her kind because, well, no one spoke to her anymore.

She swirled the noodles around her fork and slipped it in her mouth quickly, despite the noodles being hot to the touch. It was spicy and sharp in the best way.

Rose thought of all she had accomplished since she was brought aboard the Star Destroyer. She had managed to rid herself of a very strong urge to go to Hux and had held onto her dignity. Part of her wanted to say that stopping the affair with Hux was just as good as never starting it; that once the rebellion broke onto the ship and she was able to escape, all thoughts of Armitage Hux would leave her mind forever.

But even in her little room he seemed to haunt every corner and, despite her posturing, she knew she could never stop thinking about Hux. Even when she’d yelled the truth at him, she had wanted to swallow her words back because she didn’t want to see him hurt.

Hux was cruel. He was evil and he had taken so much of her life away. She had pushed him away because it had felt like the moral thing to do. Someone in their right mind wouldn’t lust after their enemy that they’ve been fighting against for nearly all their life. No one would feel this way towards a murderer, a monster that snuffed out millions of lives with one command. 

And yet she had. And still did.

She stared down into her bowl, at the richly spiced food that she knew he had demanded a trooper take to her.

He liked her. Despite all the crimes he’d committed, atrocities done under his command; he still kept coming back to her. She could not deny their connection and it seemed that neither could he. Rose was leaning into the only person that seemed to want her. Would she still feel this desperate for attention if Finn had reciprocated her feelings or had even stayed her friend? Finn was the one who broke off all contact, choosing to fly around on precarious missions with Poe than spend any time in Rose’s presence. At first she’d thought it was good to give him room because she didn’t want to put him into a more awkward position than she already had with her kiss and confession. Rose was mature enough to know that not all love was meant to be reciprocated; yet she felt that even with her rejected confession out in the open, Finn would still have been her friend, or at least acknowledge her existence. 

Instead he pushed her away. She had already lost Paige and now Finn had left too. Half of the engineering crew was blown up in the hanger of the Raddus and the other half was divided across the galaxy for far away missions. Commander Rose alone was told to stay at the base to continue to lead from afar, to work in isolation so that she would not have any distractions as she worked. The isolation sharpened her focus but it had been so lonely. 

But Hux… he was interested in her and - stars help her - she was interested in him too. He was cold and stiff, but beneath his icy demeanor burned a fire so different from the ones she saw in the eyes of rebels. There was anger, yes, but also passion and desire behind his green eyes. 

Was it so wrong to want to be desired by another person? She had chastised herself back on the base for even dreaming about such vanity, but she was envious of others being able to want and be wanted back in return; and the second a pair of eyes turned to her, she gave into it. Even when she wasn’t in charge of making sure that Hux didn’t die, even when she wasn’t his only social contact; he still wanted her, which was more than could be said about others.

In her hands, she held the proof that somewhere behind a First Order issued uniform was a glimmer of something warm. She was not sure if it was exactly kindness, but it was definitely the desire to be kind. She felt hopeful; if he could feel that for even one person then the First Order had not taken away all his humanity from him. 

The door to her cell opened with no warning and she jumped, nearly spilling her food onto the floor.

“Stand, prisoner,” the trooper grunted at her.

She was getting too used to the feeling of durasteel binders around her wrists by now. At this point they should just make her a pair of bracelets to wear daily that would snap together on command. 

The trooper was silent as they shoved her along a new pathway of corridors. It was in the opposite direction of the hanger and the conference room. It wasn’t even the same direction as the officers’ quarters. Cold sweat ran down the back of her neck and a lump formed in her stomach. 

When they finally stopped at a set of doors the durasteel slid open and revealed the bridge of the Finalizer. Rose swallowed hard, her heartbeat echoing in her ears. She paused at the doorway, eyes frozen on the windows at the front of the room. Space stretched out before them, doted with pinpricks of stars. A planet was off to the starboard side, a pretty blue marble swirled with white clouds. 

“Move,” the trooper snapped, they grabbed her by the arm and dragged her across the sleek black floor. She stumbled forward as the trooper brought her to a tall lean figure dressed in a long black coat. They turned and it was Hux, his face hard. He said nothing but reached forward snatching her binders and yanking her close against him. Rose stuttered, the familiar feeling of his uniform beneath her hands and his familiar scent clouded her mind. They were close enough that if she stood on the tips of her toes, she could kiss him. 

She had never kissed him. She’d seen every part of him, had his mouth on plenty of other parts of her body but never on her own mouth. Suddenly she felt like a nervous teenager, anxiously anticipating their first kiss. 

Only General Hux didn’t kiss her in the middle of the bridge of the Finalizer. Instead he spun her around so that her back was flush against his chest, his hand rested over her throat so that she could not run away from him. His grip was not hard, but neither was it gentle; just firm enough to discourage resistance.

“Open the signal.” He commanded. Rose could feel the rumble of his voice in her shoulders and she shivered. The exposed skin of her collarbone where his hand rested felt impossibly hot. A red light illuminated in front of them and Hux stiffened behind her. 

“Rebels,” he began, addressing their unseen audience. “I hope you’re done licking your wounds in whatever far corner of the galaxy you’ve hidden yourselves in. The time has come to slither out and surrender. The First Order is stronger in numbers, force, and supplies. The game you’re playing now is only preventing peace across the galaxy. I welcome you to hang up your silly orange jumpsuits and join the First Order. We could always use another pilot or engineer.” 

His fingers tensed around her throat as he said the final word, the pressure to breathe grew heavy. Her pulse beat frantically and Rose had no doubt that Hux could feel it against his fingertips. 

“I’m giving you all one week to surrender to the Supreme Leader and his forces,” he announced. “If you don’t show yourselves by then, there will be no mercy for you. I’ve learned plenty about your workforce and will set a bounty on each of your heads. There will be no hope anywhere for you. And your kind engineer here will be the first to feel the First Order’s wrath.” 

His fingers pressed harder against the sides of her throat and Rose gasped at the first instance of pain, her shackled hands rose to pull his hand away. Before she could grip his hand, the red light went out and he instantly released her. Rose pulled away, gasping for air, more from fear than from pain. The rebellion had only a week before they were to be hunted down and executed- herself included. She expected hyperbole from Hux, he was never one to understate anything; but she had momentarily forgotten the cruelness that he was capable of. Her fingers went to her throat, rubbing at the place where he had clenched it. He held more than planets in his hands - he held lives, including her own. 

Rose summoned her strength, spinning around to look him in the eye. She was expecting hard, angry eyes but found something very different. His face was soft and his green eyes appeared pained. Her harsh words died in her mouth. He looked nothing like the General that had just promised death throughout the sector. He looked hurt. 

“Follow me,” he said quickly before walking towards the door. She hurried behind him, looking to the other officials on the bridge as if they might have the answer to why Hux was behaving in this way. She trailed behind him into the hallway, but she could not go far without knowing why.

“What are you doing?” she asked once the door to the bridge was closed and they were alone in the corridor. He paused, still looking ahead with clenched fists at his side. 

“I’ll explain everything in a second-” 

“No, I want to know now.” Rose slammed her boot into the floor for good measure. He only looked over his shoulder. His lip twitched angrily, green eyes went from inspecting her to scanning the corridor around them in case another officer were to intrude on them. 

“Just follow-” 

“Are you going to kill me?” Rose cut him off. The fear building in her chest released in a big rush. She could feel her voice shake but she kept her chin high. “Right now?” 

His shoulders sank, defeated at her question. He turned on his heel to finally face her. 

“Rose-” he cooed, closing the distance between them in one long stride. 

“Don’t call me that.” she snapped.

“Fuck’s sake, Rose!” he grabbed her shackles and yanked her close to him. Their noses nearly touched as he hunched over to meet her gaze. She could feel his breath warm against her cheeks. Up close she saw his face was not flushed with red anger but was pale, his eyes unable to focus and switched from one of her eyes to the other as if he might get a different answer from each pupil. He took a breath, his grip on her binders loosened. When he spoke it was quiet, like when he used to moan against her skin. “Trust me.” 

There was no creature in the galaxy who would fault her for not trusting him. Hux was outwardly greedy and hostile, he was an ambitious rank climber to a fault. He didn’t even appear trustworthy, his pale skin stretched over sharp bones reminded her of a snake. His eyes were always watching, forever suspicious of everybody. He was handsome in a way, but in a way carnivorous plants were pretty. In the way beasts of the sea were beautiful - remarkable considering their danger. Hux was dangerous, no doubt; but she knew that he wasn’t dangerous to her. Not anymore. 

“Okay,” her voice barely above a whisper. “I trust you.” 

For a moment he hesitated. A single second where his eyes betrayed everything behind them before quickly shrinking back behind his harsh mask. He led her down to a lift. But it was too late, she had seen the truth as clear as day. 

Hux was not used to being trusted.

* * *

He brought her to his private rooms. Rose felt an uneasiness being back within the dark grey walls but tried not to show it. He released the binders from her wrists and she was thankful for it. She was growing weary of the weight constantly pulling her down. 

“So, my days aren’t numbered?” Rose asked, her fingers rubbing at the red marks on her wrists. 

“No, you’re safe. I know your little friends can’t help themselves when an opportunity to be a hero pops up,” he said, then shot her a look. “You included.” 

“I think of it as saving people,” Rose said. 

“You’re only proving my point,” he said, a smile spreading across his lips. Rose chuckled. He was right after all. He beelined to a black chair next to him and fell into it. “But the idea is thus: the rebellion gets my ultimatum and then comes to surrender. But, of course, they won’t because of hope or whatever foolish emotion they’re following and then they rescue you.” 

Rose’s mouth fell open. Hux looked to her for a reply;when none came, he shifted awkwardly in his chair. 

“Did I not explain it well eno-,”

“No, I understand everything,” Rose said quickly, raising a hand to silence him. “I just… You’re helping me return to the Resistance?” 

“Yes. Was that unclear?” 

“No. No not at all. It just doesn’t seem to align with your… interests.” 

“What makes you think you know my interests?” he raised a brow at her. 

“If you get the rebels here, why not kill them?” Rose asked, trying to find the piece that made this picture whole. She could see it in sections but all together. Hux was behaving uncharacteristically. He did not give things away without gaining something in return and he most certainly wouldn’t let the Resistance wander onto a Star Destroyer and leave without a fight. 

“Because you’d never forgive me.” he explained. 

Rose took a step back as if the mental whiplash she was experiencing was physical. She wanted to laugh! She almost did until she saw his face. He was sincere. He was truly worried about her feelings towards her. It made her feel lightheaded. 

“Does my forgiveness mean that much to you?” she asked. She shouldn’t have said it. She should have kept quiet and gone along with the plan. There was no need to push this conversation any further. 

“More than it reasonably should.” he admitted, though it sounded more like it was directed to himself than to her. 

Rose looked at him, trying to understand the man in a different light. He was risking a lot with this plan - if it went off perfectly, his heart and authority would suffer for it. He gave no indication that he was worried about himself personally, he was worried about Rose’s feelings. 

“Are you… is this your way of being kind?” she asked quietly, stepping towards him. He liked calling her kind, first as an insult, and then more of a curiosity. Hux thought of Rose’s kindness as someone might think of someone’s interest in insects. Not for them, but curious nonetheless. Rose wished she could read his mind in that moment, to see what had led up him from hissing about the power he held over the galaxy to willingly letting her go free. 

“I don’t think I’d go so far as to use _that_ word,” he said, shifting into his chair to hide from her gaze. Rose went to his chair, resting a hand on his shoulder. His head jerked around at the touch, looking from where her fingers rested on his coat up to her face. 

“Thank you, Armitage,” she said before leaning over to press a kiss against his cheek. His skin was warm and she lingered a second too long before pulling away. His hand shot out, catching her wrist. Green eyes pierced right through her. He opened his mouth to speak and Rose leaned forward onto her toes, ready to listen. But he paused and his lips sealed, his eyes slowly lost their sheen. His fingers left her wrist, but the heat of his skin still lingered. 

“Don’t plan on asking for any more favors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe friends! <333


	9. Chapter 6

Her cell didn’t feel so lonely anymore. In a week’s time the rebellion would be breaking onto the Finalizer and she'd be back with her friends. Her mind ran through their faces - Connix, Finn… uh Poe? The shitty engineer droid. The slug thing. 

Well, even if she couldn’t call any of them close friends, she’d still be back with her cause. Her fingers clutched the pendant around her neck. She belonged with the Resistance. They fought for what she believed in - a free galaxy. Rights for all creatures. 

Did they achieve any of them yet? Not exactly, but once they were settled again they could start an offensive. Though they’d had plenty of time since the attack on Ajan Kloss and there wasn’t any sign of them, at least as far as the First Order knew. 

It must be a good thing, she decided. They were doing spy work. Underground trading, building allies, and gathering supplies to really hit the First Order where it hurt. Maybe they would take down the Finalizer after she was off of it. 

She felt a pang in her chest so painful she flinched. If the ship were destroyed, Hux would be as well. Rose swallowed hard. That was something she had to accept, no matter how much it hurt her. Her selfishness to keep him for herself was not worth the sacrifices that the Resistance had fought for peace. Once she returned to the Resistance, everything would fall back into the correct order and it would be like before they captured Hux. 

There was a knock at her door and she was startled out of her musings. While the ship had no set day and night cycle, the crew worked in shifts to ensure full efficiency; therefore she was usually left alone for several hours at a time. She stood up from her cot as the door split open. 

Hux alone stood in the doorway, no stormtrooper escort in sight. He stood in the doorway with his usual military stiffness, but his chest heaved like he had up until now been running. He looked off; s his hair was swept back but not styled in its usual part, his coat hung crooked from his shoulders as if he only threw it on as an afterthought, his face was flushed all over. The hallway behind him was dimmed. It was clear that the brig was supposed to be sleeping and probably him as well. Rose expected him to command her to follow him, but he was silent and stared only at his boots. He appeared to be on the verge of saying something and Rose waited patiently, but nothing came.

“Yes?” Rose coaxed. He took a breath like he had breathed in much needed courage.

“We don’t have much time left… together…” he began, green eyes flicked up from his boots to her face. “And I’m afraid I still have… a lot I want to discuss with you.” 

“Discuss?” Rose asked. 

He gave a frustrated sigh, his face nearly as red as his hair. He wasn’t angry with her, but she sensed he was distressed. He didn’t enter her cell, only stretched his hand out to her. 

“Until your friends come, would you… would you stay with me?” he requested.. “No one needs to know about it... I know it would be… bad optics. But until then.” 

Rose looked at his offered hand. He wore no glove, another sign of a mad dash in the middle of the night. She didn’t want to admit that just a few moments ago she had just considered his death and that she had vowed not to let it linger in her heart thereafter. But… and the word made all the difference. But would there be any harm in taking his hand? In a week she would be gone and back with her people.. Until then, she was going to be stuck on board anyway. The whole reason they were coming at all was because of Hux. Her chest fluttered, like a bird caged within her ribs trying to free itself. 

She went to him, knowing that she was looking too eager, and placed her hand into his. His palm was warm and his fingers immediately gripped her tightly as if she might slip out of his grasp.

* * *

It felt good to walk around the ship without binders. Hux kept his fingers interlocked with hers as they walked down the corridors. Whenever a stormtrooper appeared from around an impending corner, his hand would quickly slip from her fingers to her wrist. His back would straighten and he would step in front of her as if marching her to an interrogation chamber. Then when the coast was clear, his hand would melt back into hers. 

Rose wasn’t sure what to think of it. 

As they reached the officer’s quarters, the halls were quieter and apart from their footsteps, the only sound was the hum of the ships.. The lights were dimmed even lower than at the brig to the point that she could only make out vague shadows of the corridor. Hux was undeterred and walked confidently down the corridor; it seemed that even in the dark, Hux could navigate himself to his room by muscle memory alone. He led her to his door and with a quick tap of his fingers she was standing in the same spot in his quarters that she had been in so many times before. Usually the weight of binders and Hux’s stare kept her glued to one place but tonight she felt free to roam the living space. It was sparsely decorated, no objects from home adorned the walls. A small shelf held only a lamp and a datapad. It made her sad. Even in her crummy corner of the world divided off with green tarps, she had a box full of personal belongings. Then again that box had been abandoned by the Resistance now was probably eaten up by the aggressive plant life of Ajan Kloss. Nothing on this ship was personal, but perhaps the First Order preferred to keep it that way. 

“There’s something I want to show you,” Hux murmured. He sounded nervous. Rose turned to find him standing beside the table, the blue holo switched on. It showed a planet with a familiar swirl of sea and ice and land. 

“Is that-” she began, stepping up to the table to grip the edge. 

“Yes.” he confirmed, already knowing that she knew.

Rose’s mouth fell open as she watched her home planet pivot around in bright blue light. It looked just as she had when she left. Hux tapped the console and a report popped up beside the planet. Rose squinted into the light and read the header. 

_HAYS MINOR: EXIT PLAN ENGAGED_

Rose gazed up at the words as their meaning sank in. Her throat felt dry. 

“You’re leaving it?” she dared to ask. “In one piece?”

“Yes. Mining and all operations have been stopped. All personnel and troopers have been ordered to leave the planet immediately. It's.... there's not much left of it but at least it won't have vultures picking at it anymore.” 

She felt her eyes sting, perhaps it was the bright light. 

“Why would you do that?” she asked, turning away from the light. He was watching her, observing her reaction. The blue light made his eyes look like the sea and they watched her not expectantly but intently. As if she was about to announce whether he lived or died. 

“You know why.” 

Her heart thumped in her chest. It was difficult to put the day’s events into the puzzle that was Hux. He was cruel, ambitious, and unforgiving;yet in a rather short amount of time, he had demonstrated to her that he was capable of being none of those things to her for no other reason than to not hurt her. And now it wasn’t just her. He was actively hurting the First Order to help the people of her homeworld. 

He lifted his hand under the holo of her homeworld, his palm tinged blue by the holo’s light. 

“If I do indeed hold them then I can let them go just as easily,” he said, turning his hand over as if dropping something. Rose sniffed, quickly wiping a hand over her face. “Holding onto things always made me feel powerful but it’s not…. it’s fear, it’s-” 

He couldn’t continue, seemingly surprised by his own candor, and he looked away from the holo. 

“You know I can’t stay,” she reminded him. He looked back at her, his eyes were ringed red and glistening from something he preferred to keep unspoken. 

“I know,” his voice was hoarse, a tell tale sign that he was holding so much back. “All this isn’t to keep you, it's… just for you.” 

Rose knelt beside him, knees falling to the floor, and rested her chin on the armrest. She took one of his hands in both of hers, weaving their fingers together. She kissed his knuckles.. 

“Come with me,” she whispered. He closed his eyes, as if her words literally snuffed the life and fight from him. 

“With you?” and she felt hopeful at first when she saw the contemplation on his face, but he became more despaired in the span of a breath. She quickly realized that this was a thought he had visited and left just as often with the carefully thought out knowledge that he knew that he could not do it.

“I can’t leave now. I’ve made too many enemies with the Resistance, even within the First Order. I’m of no use to anyone without this,” he gripped his shirt with his free hand, the crisp uniform stretched and bunched in his fist. The uniform and rank were both his prison and his armour. “It’s all the protection I have left.” 

“I’ll protect you,” Rose swore against his knuckles. Hux stood, pulling Rose to her feet with him. He pulled his hand from her grasp to wrap his arms around her, holding her close against him. He was warm and she melted into his embrace. 

“Forget about the future. I want to focus on what I have right now,” he said, brushing her hair from her face. Rose tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. Hux’s green eyes had lost their chill. Now they were warm and soft. “Rose…” he muttered.

Rose’s heart slammed against her chest as she looked up at him. “Armitage.”

His name used to incur fear and disgust. Now it felt so comforting to her and she wanted to hum it against his skin. She wanted to run her fingers over the sharp angles of his face. She wanted him. All of him. The gentle and the harsh. The kind and the cruel. The monster he had been, the man he could be, and everything in between. 

Rose didn’t want to live a life that didn’t have Armitage Hux in it. 

She rose to her tiptoes, gripping his coat to keep her balance. She watched as his eyes flickered down to her lips and his hands held her tighter. Rose closed her eyes when their lips finally met. His lips were warm and gentle as they tested unventured territory. Soon his touch grew desperate for more of her. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck as she met his enthusiasm. She opened her mouth and his lips moved to match hers, she tasted him on her tongue and savored every delicious brush of his tongue. 

“Rose,” he moaned against her lips. And just like that she was done for. 

They moved from the living room to his bedroom. Kissing felt like breathing now, vital to their continued existence. Even as they sat on the edge of his bed, they made no move to remove their clothes. Rose was entirely content to sit and kiss Hux the entire week until the Resistance came. She knew what he felt like in a lust filled haze, but she wanted to know him in a different way. She savored the heat that grew between her legs, but also the touch of his hand at her wrist. The way he draped his arm around her shoulders. The small breath he took as they parted lips and how quick he was to reunite their mouths. 

Rose kicked off her boots and pulled her legs beneath her on the bed. Hux took the opportunity to guide her down back against his sheets. He held himself over her, their lips still connected. Rose pulled at his jacket, wanting to feel his weight on top of her. He laid on his side beside her, their kiss broken by the movement. 

Rose looked at his lips, red from her own. His arm was stretched protectively across her, his hand resting on her hip. Rose curled into him, pressing her head against his chest. 

She fell asleep there, listening to the thunder of his heart.

* * *

Rose woke up first. She was reluctant to move as doing so may wake Hux. He was laying on his side, facing her. She took the precious moments before he woke up to study him. His face looked very different relaxed than it did when he was awake. His eyes were always focused, his features stern and hard. Asleep he looked… well he looked like anyone. A young man, not much older than Rose herself. She could see the fine lines beside his eyes earned more from stress than age. She wondered if he’d grey early too. She thought it’d look good. A stripe of silver through his fiery hair. It’d make him look sophisticated, and perhaps more dangerous. 

Rose had always thought Hux looked dangerous. There was something in the way he held himself that exuded a kind of power to subdue and even attack, but there was also a simmering desperation to reveal his claws. Desperate people will do crueler things than any animal in the universe. Even on the Finalizer, she saw it in the upward tilt of his chin and the stiff muscles of his jaw. 

But here he looked like a person. It was equally as dangerous for her to think of him as a person, but Rose couldn’t stop herself anymore. She wouldn’t stop herself. She had a week before life went back to some resemblance of normal and she wanted to use it. 

Could she go back to life with the Resistance like before? Hux haunted her thoughts everywhere she went: the base, the Star Destroyer, even in her solitary cell. Rose didn’t want to admit it but she was fooling herself if she thought she could return to the Resistance and not think of Armitage Hux until her last breath. 

It was a hard thought to live with, but she saw no other outcome. 

She reached out, dragging her fingertip over his cheekbone. He had such sharp features and she half expected the touch to draw blood. Instead she met warm, soft skin. She pulled her finger down, over his jawline before dropping below his chin and sliding down his neck and over his collarbone. She pressed her palm against his chest and felt his heart beat against her hand. She’d fallen asleep to the rhythm hours ago.

Hux’s hand slid over hers, wrapping his fingers in hers. Rose looked up and found sleepy green eyes looking back at her. He wore a tired smile that she wanted to wake up to every morning for the rest of her life. 

“Come here,” he murmured, pulling her close against him. Their lips met and a sweet shock went straight from Rose’s mouth right to her toes. She wasn’t used to waking up in bed with someone, much less enjoying it. 

Hux made a lot of things different. 

Rose let her eyes close and mind, still heavy with sleep, fade away into warm satisfaction as Hux’s lips worked against hers. He tasted almost sweet, like the nectar from a tree deep in a jungle you had to cut through thorns to get to. His hand rested on her hip and she could feel the warmth of his hand burn through her clothes. 

He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and Rose moaned, the slight tingle of pain breaking the morning gloom on her body. 

“I love that sound,” Hux said before catching her mouth again. His kiss was more earnest, his hand roamed down her side to caress her hip. He trailed his kisses down her jaw, exploring every inch of flesh hunting for a spot that would make her squirm. “I want to hear it again.” 

He pressed her shoulders back, rolling her onto her back. He leaned over her, his lips and tongue still searching her neck for the one spot that would make her melt. Rose didn’t want to put up a fight. She laid back in the sheets, her arms lips at her side, savoring every press of Hux’s lips to her neck. He shifted, crawling on top of her as his kisses became more insistent. Rose bit down on her lip to hold back her reactions. She never wanted this to stop - she wanted to live forever under Hux’s observant attention. 

However she was unable to stay silent for long. He brushed her hair back, his lips finding the tender spot right behind her ear. She had a feeling he’d been toying with her because he saved it for last and immediately slid his tongue across it. Rose gasped, her body arching into his as the sensation hit her. Slowly he grazed his teeth over the spot and Rose couldn’t stop the long low moan that escaped her chest. She felt like a puddle of warm honey under his touch. He ran his tongue over it again before kissing her there over and over again until her moans turned to cries. She wrapped her hands in his shirt and pulled him down against her. 

For a man who was able to tease her for so long, he suddenly lost his patience as soon as their hips touched. They both acted quickly, pulling and pushing away their clothing to bare just enough of themselves to each other to soothe the burning want inside of them. He slid into her slowly, each inch agonizingly slow but deliciously filling. 

She moaned his name as he sheathed himself inside of her. Rose felt his arms tremble where they were planted on either side of her and saw the sweat forming on his forehead. 

With one thrust, he pushed into her. His lips found hers again: his taste was still sweet, but with a touch of saltiness. Like sea air blowing off vast oceans. He gasped against her lips as he moved within, his skin was tinged pink and every muscle felt tense. 

Rose wrapped her arms around him, running the tips of her fingers over his back instead of her nails. He relaxed into the touch, his hips slowly pressing against her. 

Their time had not run out yet and she wanted to savor the moment. 

Hux pressed his head against her shoulder, panting and moaning as he took his time. 

His fingers slid between them, pressing against her clit as he moved within her. Rose held onto him as he worked her slowly to her peak. Not a race but a slow hike. An excruciating climb that left her panting and drenched in sweat. She moaned as a wave of pleasure washed over her, and then gasped as a stronger wave hit right afterwards. Hux’s fingers pressed harder against her and another rush of ecstasy crashed into her. 

“Armitaaaahhh...,” she tried to say his name but it melted into moans as her orgasm stole her voice. His lips found the spot behind her ear, extending the last wave into a jagged stuttering leaving her toes curled into the sheets and her fingers clenched around his shoulders. “Ohhh fuck.”

He punctuated the last wave with his own quick thrusts of his hips, knocking her higher up her mountain until he met her at the peak. 

“Rose,” he groaned as he came inside of her. They clung to one another for a moment, sweaty and exhausted from their morning marathon. They laid together until their hearts finally slowed and they rolled onto their backs under the covers. 

His hand slipped through the sheets, grabbing onto hers. He held on tightly and didn’t let go until the hum off a communicator drew him away some time later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think and as always say safe!


	10. Chapter 7

Rose had five standard days until the Resistance arrived. She decided to keep everything a secret - not just the sex, but all of it. Every whisper they shared, every thought she had of Hux. It would all be locked away in her chest. She saw how Poe had reacted when she had Hux as a chained prisoner out in the open, she could hardly imagine how he’d react if she said she had willingly and enthusiastically slept with him. More times than she could count, actually.

She was alone in his quarters now. He had been called to the bridge by the communicator and despite her attempts to lure him back into bed (her own little way of weakening the First Order) he had left with great reluctance. She laid eagle spread across his bed, running her hands over his sheets while thinking about all the things she wanted to say during their short time together. 

She wanted to know everything about Hux. She wanted to know more about his home planet, about his childhood. She wanted to peel back the black uniform and see the person inside of it, literally and metaphorically. She wanted to touch him - oh did she want to touch him - but she also wanted to know more about him. Rose had spent weeks with him and she felt like she had familiarized herself with a painting. She had memorized the pattern of freckles across the bridge of his nose, and the observant gaze that would fall over his eyes. She knew the way his nostrils would flair when he was upset, or how the muscles of his jaw would tense up to bite back a seething word. 

But that was the surface. She wanted to know what led to his creation, how the painting came to be. What were the colours mixed together to create Armitage Hux, the layers that comprised him? 

She stared out of the small window watching the stars blur past as they soared through space. If someone had asked her weeks ago “Do you want to know more about General Hux?” she would have laughed at them. 

And now she yearned for it, with the knowledge that she would have to let him go as he let her go. Perhaps it was for the best that she didn’t know more, because if she knew more than she would likely not be able to leave him when the Resistance came. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that she didn’t know more. 

Rose rolled out of bed and explored the rest of the General’s compartments. He had a personal refresher and as soon as Rose laid eyes on it she was pulling off her jumpsuit. 

The rebel bases rarely had anything besides rudimentary bathrooms. The first one she had been stationed on had a water unit that ran through a filter before watering the crops growing on the planet. It had been nice but soon abandoned as the First Order closed in. Ships’ systems usually had sonics; while they got the job done, they were nowhere near as pleasant as a refresher. Hux’s refresher had running water and a supply of hot water as well. . Rose cranked up the heat until it burned her skin and the room was full of steam. She stood under the water for a long time, letting it soothe her muscles and clear her mind. And maybe to deplete First Order supplies while she was at it. 

She was getting better at that: taking a selfish desire and spinning it for a cause. Maybe it was arrogant, or maybe it was her own way of coping with everything that had transpired since meeting Hux. 

Rose shoved her head under the water trying to clear her thoughts as well. She closed her eyes, imagining seeing Finn and Poe greeting her and asking what had happened. 

“It was horrible!” she experimented with before deciding that was too much. “I’m just glad to be home.” 

Home was better. Focus on the present not the lies. 

Rose finally turned off the refresher. She wrapped herself in a towel and looked down at her dirty jumpsuit left on the floor. She didn’t feel like putting it back on, not after scrubbing weeks of filth off. Instead she wandered back into Hux’s room and pulled open his wardrobe. 

She didn’t know what she expected, perhaps a casual outfit of some sort. Instead it was row upon row of clean, pressed uniforms. A wall of black fabric staring back at her. Maybe she could ask for another jumpsuit, one that would be her own instead of one found for her out of an old crate like before. But she doubted she could order one herself, she was still technically a prisoner. She would have to wait for Hux to get back. 

Until then, she would make do. 

Rose abandoned her towel, letting it drop to her feet. She pulled one of Hux’s heavy wool coats out of the closet to don, bunding it up around to shield her skin from the aggressive air recycler. The coat was coarse but it felt nice against clean skin. Rose moved to stand in front of the long mirror set in the wardrobe door. She stood up straight posing and twisting to let the coat shift just enough to reveal the curve of one of her breasts. She held the coat by its front hem and pulled it back down her shoulders to expose her collarbone and the lines of her neck. 

Rose didn’t use to think much about her form. It was simply her body. A vessel for moving and surviving. When she imagined being intimate with Finn, it never went beyond hand holding and quick kisses. Hux had brought new feelings into her life: a torrid lust that she had never connected to so strongly before and an insatiable desire that made heat burn between her legs. 

She felt like a sexual creature now. Not reduced to it, but rising to it. She liked how the light hit her shoulders; how her wet hair was falling from its style, wavy tendrils framing her face. She tilted her chin and found a patch on her neck a light purple color. He had left a mark on her skin. Not from cruelty but from pleasure. Rose ran her fingers over it and wondered if she could do the same. The violet bruises would show up well on his pale skin. His neck would be a wonderful canvas to work with. 

Her eyes wandered over her chest before rising to her face, meeting her own brown eyes through the mirror. She was used to being smudged with grease, in shapeless jumpsuits, and often ignored. 

Now she felt beautiful. In nothing but her own skin and a borrowed coat, she glowed. 

She heard the main door to the quarters slide open and Rose quickly moved to the bed. She draped herself over the edge letting the coat fall open. She knew she was enticing and it made even more exciting waiting for the door to open. 

The bedroom door opened and Hux entered. He had his hat under one arm, his fingers working at the high collar of his uniform only for them to freeze as soon as his eyes landed on her half naked form. 

“Afternoon, General Hux,” Rose purred with a smile. She was starting to understand Hux’s obsession with controlling planets. She controlled only one man and it made her feel insurmountable. 

“Afternoon, Ms Tico,” he said, his hand still paralyzed at his neck as if he had forgotten about it. 

“Call me Rose.” 

“Do I have permission now?” 

“For now.” 

She saw his eyes slide down her body Rose shivered as if he had touched her, a barely here caress. 

“What else do I have permission to do?” he asked, his eyes snapped up to meet hers. A focused emerald gaze that made her wet just looking into it. Rose licked her lips, unaware of the action until it was already halfway done. She had expected him to join her in bed immediately, but this new approach was too fun to rush through. She wanted to make the most of it. 

Her eyes left his face, wandering down his figure. 

“Take off your belt,” she ordered. 

Gloved hands immediately went to the silver buckle at his waist. The jingle of metal on metal sent a thrill up her spine. He tossed it aside with his hat and was about to take a step forward before she raised her hand to hold him in place. At the sight of her upright palm, he retreated and waited patiently for her next command.

“And your shirt.” 

He pressed his finger to his mouth, biting on the tip of his glove to pull it off. 

“No,” she breathed, “Keep the gloves on.”

Hux raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her but followed directions without question. He slid his hands down the seam of his shirt; unfastening it as he went exposing his neck and then his collarbone. Rose watched greedily as his torso was slowly exposed and he threw the garment to the floor. Her eyes wandered over his shoulders, taking in his form from afar.

She could see his erection growing against his pants and she clenched her knees together as if that would give her patience. Rose had never been particularly patient, but the little amount she had was truly being tested by Hux now. She pressed her lips together, trying to come up with another order for him. She could get him out of his pants but then their little game would be over and she wanted it to last just a little bit longer. She could have him touch himself, but she wasn’t sure if she could stand it. 

He must have felt her hesitance because he spoke. 

“Let me touch you.” It wasn’t the words themselves that hit her hard but his tone. Rich, wanting, and deep. Her eyes went from resting on his hips where red hair led down below his waistband to his face. His eyes were half closed, his lips just parted. Green eyes were zeroed in on her. 

She felt warmth rush over her. A blush on her cheeks, a thrill between her legs. It felt good to hear it out loud. The pair had done a lot of talking with their bodies, but to actually hear it from his lips felt beyond amazing.

Rose’s mind drifted to their time in the conference room, when she sipped on salty broth he brought just for her. 

_“Do I look like a man who says please?”_

She looked up at him, not bothering to hide the devilish grin on her lips. 

“Say please.” 

“Rose,” his voice held a warning. 

“Armitage,” she replied, her grin still in place. 

He pressed his lips together in pensive thought before his eyes fell to the floor. She could see the tension in his shoulder, the growing want in his trousers. Hux was backed into a corner.

He let out a long breath before looking up, his gaze burned through her. 

“Please,” he pressed out between his teeth. 

“Please, what?” she asked, feigning innocence. 

His eyes closed in frustration and Rose couldn’t stop the satisfied giggle brewing in her chest. She was glad she pushed this further, it was quite the fun little game. 

“Rose I already-” he began to complain but she cut him off. 

“Do you not want me?” she asked, feigning outrage. She rolled onto her back, the coat falling further open exposing more of her breasts and completely freeing her legs. She stretched her arms out over her head, completely ready for him to crawl on top of her. 

“I want you more than anything else in the universe,” he said, his voice low and serious. It came out breathless, like a confession finally released. “You’re all I think about anymore, Rose. You’re all I will ever want.”

She froze. It was such a strong declaration that she faltered, her playfulness vanished. 

“Armitage-” she called, a hand reached out to him. 

“Please,” he interjected. Their eyes met and she could see it all in his eyes: Hux was begging. 

“Come here,” Rose beckoned and Hux was on her in an instant. His hand in her hair, his thumb brushing against her cheek. His lips were on her jaw, her neck, her mouth. He moved down her body, pushing her coat open to cup her breasts in his gloved hands. The leather was warm and supple against her skin, but when he ran a finger over her nipple, the seam of the glove pressed against the tender skin and she gasped. 

“Rose,” he murmured before taking the tender peak in his mouth. He ran his tongue over it, sucking on it until it formed a stiff peak. She wriggled under his touch but he moved the next one, repeating his work and making her hips wriggle underneath him all over again. He spoke against her breasts as he admired them. “Rose, my Rose.” 

He whispered her name repeatedly like a mantra, even as he freed himself from his trousers and pushed into her. Even as his hips drilled into her,his hands gripping her waist tight enough to bruise. Even as she scratched gashes down his shoulder blades with her nails and she gasped for more. In the midst of desperate lust, he still prayed against her skin. 

“My sweet Rose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe and tell me what you think ❤️


	11. Chapter 8

The days went by too quickly. Every moment they had together, they used. Hux took his meals in his quarters and they shared dishes from his home planet together. Rose managed to order something resembling a Hays Minor dinner but it wasn’t the same and wasn’t nearly as tasty. 

It was strange how quickly she acclimated to his proximity. She slept wrapped in his arms and lived barely a foot away. Hux shrugged off as many obligations as he could but whenever he was finally pulled away, Rose felt an absence in her chest. 

When she left in a few days time, would she always carry this hollowness inside of her? 

Rose sat in the common area of Hux’s quarters, slouched down in a chair with her feet up on the table. She wore a plain black shirt and black pants that Hux had procured for her and flipped through the various holo programs. She watched planets fly past, gazing at schematics before moving to the next one. Alone she was restless. The hours were counting down until the Resistance arrived

She thought about the time they had spent on Ajan Kloss and how she would have used it differently. Surrounded by jungle, he seemed hard and distant but he would have always been within reach. She had spent so long worrying about what others would think of her heart that she didn’t think to follow it. Hux was already softening - already turning. If only she had more time. It would have been nice to see him in something other than First Order black. 

He’d been called to the bridge early that morning. Kylo Ren had arrived not long beforehand and Rose was making a point to stay in Hux’s quarters. She hadn’t ventured far from them before, but she was sure as hell not going to be caught in a hallway with Ren. 

Rose flipped the holo channel to the rebel’s countdown clock. It was being broadcast throughout the galaxy, sent to every city and dusty outpost to ensure they saw it. She felt each tick of the clock like a stab in her stomach. One standard day, four hours, fifty-five minutes, three seconds…. two seconds… one second. 

She turned it off. 

As soon as the clock had vanished the door to the suite opened with a hum. Hux walked in with his eyes on the floor. He turned around quickly tapping against the console beside the door to ensure it was locked and unfriendly to any lieutenant that may be sent to fetch him. Rose felt her heart lurch at the sight of him. She jumped out of her chair, rushing up behind him to throw her arms around his waist and lean her cheek against his coat. 

“Afternoon, General,” she crooned, squeezing him. He gasped - not the excited noise of a man alone with a woman but of a person in pain. Rose froze, her arms immediately releasing him. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” he said, his hand grabbing hers and holding it close to his chest. His face was still turned away. Rose felt dread slither down her spine. With her free hand she reached out and gently turned Hux’s chin towards her. 

“Oh, Armitage,” she gasped. The left side of his face was smeared with various dark shades of purple. Dark and stormy like thunderclouds ready to release. His eye was ringed with dark violet, his lip cut open and bleeding leaving a trail of blood down his chin. Her hand slid up to caress his uninjured cheek. “Who did this?” 

“Rose, it’s nothing.”, a gloved hand tried to remove her hand from his face but she shook it off. Rose stepped closer, getting a better look at his face. Whoever had done this had intended for the wound to show. 

“Armitage, this isn’t nothing! You need to go to the medical ward!” Rose said, the fear entering her voice. Her first thought was she couldn’t leave him on this ship if this was how he was treated. She couldn’t leave him here to be beaten senseless. She couldn’t leave him unprotected. 

“Rose.” The edge in his voice made her stop. His hand had wrapped itself around her wrist and she let him pull her hand away. He stared at her hard, his eyes were so clear and cold. So light it looked nearly blue instead of the warm green she had become accustomed to. For a moment that gaze made her remember exactly what he was: a cruel murderer. She wanted to step away, to lock herself away in her cell and fall into the pit of self loathing all over again. How could she have seen something more in someone so cold? Someone so far from the light? 

And then she saw the tear he tried to blink away and the facade of General Hux cracked and shattered apart. 

“I… I don’t want to discuss it. I want to enjoy our time together,” he said. A weak smile pulled at his lips but seemed to hurt to hold. “While we still have it.”

Rose couldn’t just forget that Hux had come in bleeding and bruised. She wanted to ask a million questions and to know exactly who was to blame. But the wounded look in his eye told her it would mean a lot more to ignore it. She took a deep breath, pushing down the protective thoughts, she wasn’t sure she had a right to feel, and smiled.

“I can do that,” she said, taking his hands in hers. She’d had something much more physical planned for when he arrived but it didn’t seem appropriate now. Instead she took his hands and led him to the back of the suite to the refresher. He obeyed as she pulled him into the small room and pushed his coat off his shoulders. He closed his eyes as she undressed him. Her fingers moved quickly, more familiar with his uniform than she’d let any rebel know. She was afraid that exposing more skin would reveal more wounds. She gave a sigh of relief when she pulled his shirt off and found his chest untouched. She pressed her hands against his abdominal muscles feeling his diaphragm push against her with each heavy breath. She leaned in, pressing a kiss to the hollow of his throat. He shuddered under her touch and she couldn’t help but smile. 

She’d miss this; the ability to make someone react so viscerally to her touch. As much as she wanted to get back to the Resistance, she knew how lonely it would be. Nothing but green curtains to keep her company during a cold night. For now, she’d enjoy every second of being with Hux. 

Rose trailed kisses down Hux’s neck, each as soft as the brush of a moth’s wing. She pressed them to his collarbone and above his heart. She kissed down his stomach, her hands making quick work of his belt. She pulled it through the loops jerking his hips forward. His hands shot forward, gripping her shoulders to keep himself steady. Rose looked up meeting his startled gaze. He pulled his hands away quickly as if they had acted of their own volition. 

Rose smirked, stepping aside to reach into the refresher and turn it on. Warm water surged from the ceiling and slowly steam began to fill the room. Hux egan kicking off his boots and Rose turned to her own clothing. In one movement she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it off, revealing she wore nothing beneath it. She was already pulling her trousers off her hips when she caught Hux’s expression. His hands were on his zipper, frozen mid-action as his eyes were not-so-subtly taking her in. A blush crept over her cheeks as she wiggled her hips out of her pants, letting them pool around her feet. 

“Stars, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, closing the distance between them. Rose’s back hit the door of the refresher and soon her hips were pinned between the durasteel and Hux’s. Her heart swelled under his attention. His erection pressed against her pelvis and she felt a thrill run up her spine at the thought of him inside of her. He pressed his lips against hers but quickly pulled away hissing through his teeth. 

“Wha-” Rose’s hands fluttered, trying to fix the situation, sure it was something she had done. 

“My lip,” he said, his finger touching the still fresh wound on his bottom lip that had now been torn open. Rose touched her fingertips to her own mouth and found a smear of crimson left from their kiss. 

How horrible that someone would take the full pleasure of kissing away from them, when they had so little time left together. 

“It’s okay,” Rose said, jumping to the occasion. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she wasn’t going to leave either of them wanting either. “Get under the water.” 

He paused, taking her in for a moment, before sliding his trousers off and stepping into the refresher. She followed him into the steam and hot water, savoring it as it ran against her skin. Despite the warmth, her nipples were hard peaks and she instinctively wrapped an arm around her chest to shield it from his view. 

But she had no reason to hide herself, not anymore. Rose let her arms fall, straightening her posture so her breasts were on full display. Hux’s hands found her waist, pulling her against his body underneath the stream of warm water. Her soaked hair obscured her face and Hux ran his hands through her hair, pushing it back to uncover her face. 

The violet bruises around his eye socket looked painful but he didn’t seem to pay any attention to it. Instead he was looking down at her, warm and open. 

An emotion bubbled in her chest; but with only a day and a handful of hours left, she didn’t dare to voice it. It would be unfair to both of them to do it now. 

But she could show him. 

Rose went to her knees on the floor of the refresher, her hand taking Hux’s hard cock in her hands. He jerked, gripping the sides of the stall to keep himself standing. Rose wasted no time, sliding her hands up and down his shaft before taking him in her mouth. Almost instantly she felt his hips jerk and his body shudder as his control slowly slipped away.

She treasured it; the power she held to make him quiver. She guided his cock deeper into her mouth, sliding it across her tongue as her lips squeezed around him. His fingers were in her hair, pulling hard enough that she could feel the tug on her scalp but not enough to hurt. Her hands gripped his hips as she bobbed on his cock, taking him as far as she could without gagging. 

His moans bounced off the refresher walls. He murmured gibberish, various curses, but mostly her name. 

_Rose, Rose, Rose..._

When was the last time someone had been so accepting of her? So caring and attentive? Since Rose had left Hays Minor. had she ever felt at home anywhere? 

His fingers tightened in her hair, pain prickled at the back of her neck as he lost control. His hips stuttered forward as he came in her mouth. The flood of saltiness was surprising, but not entirely unpleasant. When he pulled himself out of her mouth, she swallowed the load he had left on her tongue. 

Hux leaned against the shower wall, sliding down the black tiles until he sat in front of her on the floor beneath the water’s spray. He reached out for her, pulling her against him. Rose curled into his lap, resting her cheek on his shoulder. His embrace grew tighter, his arms like a vice around her. 

“You have me,” he muttered under the roar of the shower. Rose was unsure if she was meant to hear his words or if it was a declaration to himself. But nothing could stop the bubble of affection that grew in her chest as she heard it, nor could anything stop her from replying. 

“You have all of me,” she said against his wet skin. .. She didn’t want to be separated from him ever again. And yet in a day’s time they would be torn asunder by this blasted war. 

She could not, would never, let that happen. No matter the physical distance between them, they would not lose each other. Rose added a single word under her breath, a promise against light freckles tanned into a complicated man’s shoulder. “Forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy May the 4th! Enjoy this special star wars day chapter!


	12. Chapter 9

On their last morning together, Rose woke up to an empty bed. Her hands slid through the sheets searching for a warmth they never found. She dragged herself to her feet, stumbling into the living quarters to see Hux dressed for the day, sipping tea and reading a datapad. She felt a pain behind her ribs, that she quickly dismissed as a crick from sleeping in a strange position. 

“Morning,” she said, somewhat expectantly. 

“Good morning,” he said, his voice clean and detached. He stood from his chair, setting his datapad aside. His blackeye seemed even dark today now that the wound had settled. A dark halo of purple making the green of his eyes stand out even more. He gestured to a small package on the table beside him. “Here are some clothes for today. We don’t want your friends to think you’ve received any… preferential treatment.” 

_But I did_ , Rose bit back. She chewed on her bottom lip waiting for him to say something - waiting for him to grab her and hold her close. But he only watched her. She grit her teeth and crossed to the table grabbing the clothes before retreating back into the bedroom. 

She didn’t know what she expected from Hux, but this was not it. The last few days he’d been soft and affectionate; he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off of her, never wanting her out of his embrace for even a moment. Now he’d fallen back into the facade of First Order General. A coldness that Rose used to think Hux was made of, but now knew better. Ice was merely a coating over his heart, one that was melted all too easily. 

She tore open the package, revealing a version of the clothes she had arrived on the Finalizer in. They couldn’t have been the same, those had lost their use and been discarded long ago. She wondered where he could have possibly procured such items, but she figured a General with a reach as long as Hux’s could manage anything. 

Rose quietly slipped out of her nightgown and into a beige shirt and light brown pants. She fastened the buttons over her chest and wrapped a belt around her waist. She went to the long mirror beside Hux’s wardrobe and looked at herself. 

She looked just as she had on Ajan Kloss, but she wasn’t the same. She could consider that she was leaving Hux equally as changed, even if he did not show it. 

Rose watched as Hux stepped into the room behind her reflection. 

“How do I look?” she asked. He gave her a once over and a small grin. 

“Like a rebel.” 

Rose turned, moving to look straight at Hux. 

“Come with me,” she said, sounding far more desperate than she had intended. 

“Rose, I can’t-” he started. She could see him pulling back into himself and she refused to let that happen. 

“Armitage,” she gasped, darting across the room to take his hands in hers. “We could be together. No one would hurt you or I’d-”

He yanked his hands from her grasp, tearing himself away. 

“Stop,” he said coldly. 

“Do you really want this for the rest of your life?” Rose asked, gesturing to the suite walls around them. “To conquer and kill because you were afraid to love?” 

He looked at her as if she had slapped him across his bruised cheek. 

“No one leaves this life because they want to leave. The First Order lets you leave when you’re no longer useful and that means you’re as good as dead!” he spat at her. “If I left, they’d stop at nothing to find me- they’d find _you_.”

“Isn’t it worth it?” the first tear fell and then she couldn’t keep them back. Rose had always given herself over entirely. She had left her home, she had given the Resistance everything she had - including her only sister. Her life was only sacrifice and risk. It only made sense to do it again. To risk everything she had built at a chance at happiness. At love. 

She’d never had a chance at that before. 

She watched pain flicker over Hux’s eyes before it vanished behind the mask of cold indifference. She thought he might speak again but he didn’t. Instead he stepped out of the room and returned with binders, clicking them around her wrists and leading her into the corridor without another word. 

Rose couldn’t stop the tears now. They trailed down her face, drying on her cheeks in long streaks. 

She knew today would be hard, she just didn’t think it would be this hard. 

She snuck a glance at Hux as they stepped into a lift. His chin was held high but his eye was still purple. The bruise bloomed over his cheekbone and she felt an urge to reach up and kiss it. The idea turned to ash in her mouth.

Rose didn’t understand how he could swing between extremes so easily. The past few days, she had become used to his warmness, expected it even. Now she felt like she was standing beside a stranger. The old feelings of guilt and disgust rose in her throat. She’d given herself to this man. Her body, her heart; he’d touched every part of her only to toss her out like garbage. 

This was the natural progression of their tryst, after all. He got what he wanted. He had her fawning over him, moaning in his sheets and begging for his touch. Once he had it all, he had no use for her anymore. 

She didn’t like how familiar the pain in her chest felt. She’d felt it when Paige died, when Finn stopped talking to her, when she’d sat quietly at her bench on Ajan Kloss without a friend to ask for advice.

This couldn’t be right. The Hux she’d gotten to know wouldn’t do this, not now. She couldn’t step off the lfit and into a rebel vessel with words of disdain echoing in her head. She couldn’t let their last words be so tense and angry. They both deserved more than that. 

“Armitage,” she said, her voice cracked as she spoke his name and she hated it. “Please, tell me the truth.” 

She watched his profile. As the muscle in his jaw relaxed and he slowly turned his gaze to her. 

“Was it all an act?” she asked. 

“I thought… it would be better this way,” he confessed, still holding onto his General’s voice. “I thought it would be easier to leave if I-” 

“Don’t,” she interrupted. “I don’t need any strategic moves for my heart today. I just need you.” 

He paused as the lift carried them up through the ship. Then in one swift movement he turned to her, his arms wrapped around her waist and he pressed his lips to hers. The cut on his mouth was still healing and she could feel the pressure of the scab against her lips, but also the warmth of his skin and the desperate way his hands clutched her to him. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her lips before catching them again. Rose melted into his touch, the heartache she’d been wracking her mind over vanishing in a moment. She returned his kiss, trying to memorize the taste of Hux’s tongue as it brushed hers. His fingers wrapped themselves in the fabric of her clothes, holding her tight against his body. When he spoke again it sounded desperate. “I don’t want to let you go.” 

Rose felt her heart lurch in her chest. She didn’t want him to. She wanted to linger in his arms forever, but they didn’t have forever. They both knew they would never have gotten a happily ever after and it made the hurt sting even more. 

She pulled away first and despite the death grip he had on her, Hux let her slip away from him. 

“Brave face, General,” she said, sniffling back tears that were going to fall anyway. Hux looked so young in that moment. He cleared his throat and straightened his posture. His lips settled into a firm line and the puffiness of his eyes were mostly hidden by his blackeye. 

_Oh_ Rose thought, _I can cry and get away with it. Hux couldn’t._

She needed him to be okay after she left. If he sobbed in front of his troops, she had doubts they’d be able to meet again. 

She kicked herself. There would be no meetings. There would be no secret communications like in stories. There would only be the First Order and the Resistance.

The lift doors opened and Hux led her down a corridor crowded with stormtroopers. She kept close to his side as they moved through the soldiers and into the large hanger. The doors were open on the farside, showing off the deep darkness of space dotted with bright stars. The countdown Hux had established for the rebels was displayed on the far wall counting down the last hour they had. 

Rose looked up at Hux. He hid his heart behind a cool, disinterested look. She wished he didn’t have to hide. As long as he carried a title, he had to be someone else. But Rose caught a glimpse of someone else - a young man capable of great feats of empathy. A caring man full of love but with no opportunity to show it.

She had been thankful the universe had given him to her, even if only for a brief moment. She was able to love and be loved in return. 

She bit down on her bottom lip to keep the tears at bay.

Stars, she was going to miss him. 

They stood like quiet sentries as the minutes ticked by in a harsh blue light on the far wall. She watched ships and shuttles skitter by but none entered the hanger. The time dwindled down to only a handful of minutes left. 

The rebels always loved making a grand entrance, they would no doubt slide in at the last second. 

And then the last second came and went. The time went red, blinking zeros against gray panels and no rebel ship had landed. 

Hux shifted, waiting a moment before asking an officer to contact the bridge. No communications had come through. No one was attempting to flag the star destroyer. They weren’t late, they weren’t there. 

Her heart skipped a beat leaving an empty void in her ribs. 

They weren’t coming. 

Despite the abundance of recycled air in the hanger, Rose couldn’t breathe. Despite every attempt her lungs burned and tears pricked her eyes. She felt as if her body was collapsing in on itself. She fell to her knees, slamming bone against durasteel. She gasped for air but it was never enough.

They didn’t come. They left her to die. 

A million thoughts ran through her mind, many trying to reason away their absence. It was foolish to risk a cause for one person. They couldn’t trust the First Order. But the thought she kept coming back to was the memory of Finn walking up the ramp to a Falcon, leaving her to rot on Ajan Kloss without even a goodbye. 

Was she not worth it? She had thought she had something to offer to the Resistance but was she so easily replaced? 

Tears fell down her face, dripping onto the cold chrome floor below. She’d been ready to give up the single person who had made her feel something to go back to the Resistance and they didn’t even want her. She had given everything to them - they had taken her time and her sister’s life without even a thank you. 

She was nothing to them. Another casualty in their war. 

She felt someone pull her up but she couldn’t focus on anything besides her torrid of thoughts. She was sobbing by the time she was pulled out of the hanger and escorted back into the lift. Rose stumbled back against the wall and slid to the floor, hiding her face behind her hands. 

“Rose?” Hux’s voice sounded lightyears away. “Rose, dear, breathe.” 

She took in a long shaky breath and held it under her chest before letting it out. She looked up through her tears at Armitage. He was kneeling in front of her, his brow creased with concern. 

“They didn’t come,” she blubbered, unable to voice all of the emotions she felt. 

“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry.” 

The sorrow swelled up in her chest threatening to overtake everything. She reached out and Hux immediately took her hand between his. He was solid and grounded her wild thoughts in one place, between calloused fingers and pale palms. 

He was still there. Everyone was gone and Hux was still there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy GingeRose week! Stay safe guys 💜


	13. Chapter 10

Hux’s bed became her safe place from the First Order, and her own heartbreak. She’d fallen into the pillows the second the door to his quarters opened and refused to leave them the entire day. He brought her soup, trying his best to convince her to have a few spoonfuls; but it tasted like nothing and she pushed it away. 

Rose Tico had dedicated her life to one cause. Her wants had wavered but she always knew she would go back to her friends and fight the First Order. Now, she wasn’t so sure. 

She curled herself into a ball under the blankets, holding her medallion and warming the ore with her hands. She could almost hear their voices detailing her sacrifice. 

_It’s what Rose would have wanted. She wouldn’t have wanted us to take on such a risky mission._

But she had wanted it. She wanted to go back to a rebel camp where her mind and path was clear. Instead she was stuck in the black and greys of a First Order ship. 

“Rose?” Hux asked, his voice soft. Rose didn’t stir under the blankets. He came in anyway, she could hear his boots against the carpet before the bed dipped under his weight. “Rose, I’m sorry for how I spoke to you this morning. “

She felt a lump in her throat and tried to swallow it but it stuck in place. 

“It’s okay,” she said, her voice hoarse.

“Do… I can arrange a shuttle if that’s what you’d desire.” 

Rose poked her head out from beneath the sheet. Hux looked over at her, his black eye looking especially painful under the ship’s designated “evening” light. The warm morning lights that flickered on every day in the officers’ quarters were the best ones and Rose made a note to reprogram Hux’s so it was always morning. 

“A shuttle to where?” she asked. 

“Anywhere,” he said as he turned his face away, staring distantly in front of him. His hands clasped themselves between his knees. “I hear the rebels may be close to the Sice system. You could go there. Or anywhere you wanted.” 

“Are you trying to get rid of me too, General?” she asked, cracking a small smile.

“Stars no, Rose, I just - I wanted you to know that you don’t have to stay here,” he said, his eyes moving to finally meet hers. “Not if you don’t want to.” 

“I’ll need to think about it,” she said quietly. Her time with Hux had felt like a dream. Intense, hot, and finite. Now that their time had been extended she needed to collect herself and consider her options. She couldn’t stay in Hux’s room the rest of her life, no matter how appealing it felt right now. But if she didn’t stay here where would she go? 

“I understand,” he said, his eyes falling to the floor. Her heart dropped. She knew he wanted her to stay, but it wasn’t that easy. Not now. 

“What about your crew?” she asked, needing the subject to shift from the future to the present. “Didn’t you promise my death?” 

“I promised the rebels, I never promised the First Order,” he said with a small smile. He shifted on the mattress, fiddling with the sheet beside him. “I haven’t faced any blowback yet.” 

Rose bit her lip. She wasn’t significant enough to pull any focus. She didn’t have great power or a lightsaber. She was a prisoner that the enemy didn’t even try to rescue. 

“The other Generals don’t ask?” she asked, her heart sinking further into her gut. Hux’s jaw tightened and his eyes went to the wall. She could only see the black eye bleeding around his eye. 

“I believe they are under the assumption that whatever you’re experiencing here is… punishment enough.” 

It took a moment for the words to sink in. At first she wanted to defend herself, defend Hux, from that kind of slander. But she paused, sinking further back into the cushions. 

“Good,” she said. “Then they won’t care.” 

Rose used to be a rebel, a cog in a rusty but powerful machine. Everything was honest, everything was out in the open. Now she was living lie upon lie. Hiding with the enemy and putting on a front to people she didn’t even realize she was putting on a show for. The pair of them had spun a safe space for themselves, but one that felt unstable. How long could she live in these private quarters pretending?

She couldn’t think about going back to the Resistance. Not yet. It may sound petty but her ego still felt too bruised to look them in the eye yet. To know she was surrounded by people who didn’t lift a finger for her, the very people her sister had died for. 

She couldn’t think about it anymore, it would only pull her further down. 

Instead she looked at Hux. He wasn’t comfortable and she couldn’t blame him. Her eyes wandered over his bruised cheekbone. 

“Do they think you’re capable of that?” 

“Hm?” he turned to look at her. 

“Of…” Rose swished the word around in her mouth before saying it, adding quotations with her fingers. “ _Mistreatment? _”__

__His lip twitched._ _

__“Absolutely,” he said, his voice as hard as durasteel. Rose paused. What had Hux done for his comrades to believe him capable of such crimes?_ _

__She bit on her lower lip, chewing at the flesh. When Hux had arrived on Ajan Kloss she had a similar opinion of him. Slimey. Opportunistic. Did that side of Hux disappear because she was close to him or was she ignoring it?_ _

__It was so easy to see only the soft part of a person stuck in a single room. Rose thought of standing on the bridge, his gloved hand wrapped tightly around her throat as he roared a command._ _

__Of course people believed he was capable, but did Rose?_ _

__“They don’t know my heart,” Hux said, standing up and turning around to give her a kind smile. It was one she would normally return, but there was a lump in her throat that refused to leave._ _

__“Do I know your heart?” she asked. She thought she knew the rebels but they had hurt her in the worst possible way. It was strange to have so much trust, so much affection for someone like Armitage Hux. If the people she thought she knew couldn’t be trusted, could she trust Hux? Especially when he had a laundry list of crimes attached to his name._ _

__“You have it.”_ _

__She smiled. At least that would always be a constant._ _

__“I’m afraid I won’t be joining you here for supper,” he said, crossing to the closet and pulling out a rather fine uniform she had yet to see. It was similar to his everyday uniform but his rank was displayed in fine metal on the breast. “There is a celebration tonight.”_ _

__He pulled off his clothes, slipping into the new ones. Her eyes drifted up to his black eye._ _

__She had too many questions on her mind to stay in bed any longer._ _

__“I’ll go with you,” Rose said. Hux paused looking over at her._ _

__“Rose, it’s a First Order celebration. You will not enjoy what they are celebrating,” he said gently as if she had misunderstood his words._ _

__“I’ll go for show. To prove what you’re capable of.”_ _

__Hux raised an eyebrow and was about to protest but Rose rolled out of bed and into the front room to grab a datapad. She’d be working the delivery droids ragged before the evening._ _

________________________________________________________________________________ _

__“This is dangerous,” he whispered in the lift._ _

__The high collar of his dress uniform cut into his neck leaving a red mark against his adam’s apple. Rose pulled at the closure, loosening it to keep Hux’s air from being cut off. The durasteel bracelets jingled along her wrists as she moved._ _

__The lift came to a stop and they quickly jumped into place. Rose rubbed her lips together, the unfamiliar feeling of slick makeup on her face making her fidget._ _

__Her hair was pulled back from her face, pinned to the back of her head in an elaborate bun. The dress she’d picked showed off her shoulders and collarbone, hanging on by thin straps on her shoulders and then plunging down and showing off plenty of flesh. It wasn’t anything she’d ever chosen to wear but that was the point. However she did enjoy the fabric and how it shimmered with each step she took._ _

__Altered cuffs hung around her wrists worn as jewelry but implied they could be turned into restraints at any moment. A similar metal piece hung around her neck with little purpose other than Rose thought it would enhance the outfit._ _

__So dedicated to the facade, Rose had even rubbed water below her eyes after applying her makeup just to cover it back up again. A little smudge here and there to show she may have cried before even reaching the party._ _

__It felt… gross. She was eager to add each detail but she couldn’t help but feel nauseous at what she was alluding to. A rebellious prisoner forced to carry a sentence that should never be carried out._ _

__Even so, she knew people would buy it. She was in a perfect position. If she acted sullen they wouldn’t be able to blame her considering her position, but if she was too friendly they’ll think her mad._ _

__Perhaps she was, a little bit._ _

__Hux turned to say something but was cut off when the lift doors slid open._ _

__He stepped out first and Rose followed, taking in the room. It was sleek and black with touches of chrome like every other room or hallway of the star destroyer, but it was the people that made it grand. Officers of every level milled about with flutes of bubbling wine and bright blue liqueurs. A sea of black fabric from wall to wall. Droids buzzed around with trays of small dishes from planets to try. A droid resembling BB8 only in black swerved up next to her with a metal tray covered in curved flutes of chartreuse colored wine. She picked one up and took a sip. It tasted light and sweet and despite wanting more she resisted. It would be a bad idea to get drunk tonight._ _

__They walked through the crowd, Hux leading the way. A few officers shot her glances. Some of disgust, others lingering on the sections her dress failed to cover._ _

__“Armitage,” a man said, stopping the pair’s procession through the room. “How good to see you here. The others were placing bets on whether you’d actually show up.”_ _

__“I wouldn’t miss a chance to celebrate the First Order’s victories,” Hux replied, his voice falling into a cold almost robotic tone. It was familiar in a way. It was how he spoke to her when she’d first entered his cell on the resistance base. How he’d spoken to his men on the Supremacy ordering Finn and her own death. It sounded like another person._ _

__“I see you brought your war prize as well,” the man said, his eyes shifting to focus on Rose. She tried not to shrink under the older man’s gaze, instead raising her chin to meet his eyes. “A strong one I see.”_ _

__Rose resisted showing her disgust, but barely._ _

__“Don’t get any ideas, General,” Hux answered cooly. The older man chuckled but Rose could not ignore the very clear threat in Hux’ voice._ _

__“Before the party truly begins there is some matters to attend to,” the General snapped his fingers as a droid that whizzed over. “Show Miss Tico her place.”_ _

__The words were pointed and Rose couldn’t stop the glare she shot at him. Hux hesitated, the tension clear in his jaw, but he moved aside letting her walk past to follow the droid._ _

__She didn’t want to leave but she didn’t have much of a choice. She followed the droid as it whirled around the party goers until they reached a small table off to the side. The occupants didn’t wear uniforms like the other attendees, instead they were dressed similar to Rose. A blue Twi-lek woman in a curve hugging garment that was more strips of fabric than a true dress and a human woman in a dazzling white gown that was nearly completely see-through._ _

__Rose paused. The droid buzzed at her that she had arrived and then wheeled off. She took a breath before approaching the table worried about starting conversation when the two women immediately turned to her._ _

__“I never thought he’d bring you out,” the Twi-lek said, bright red lips pulled into a smirk._ _

__“Stars, look at these,” the other woman said, taking Rose’s hand and turning her wrist over to look at the bracelets. “You poor thing.”_ _

__Rose felt her odd feeling in her chest at the woman’s soft words. Almost as if she didn’t deserve them._ _

__“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met,” Rose said, pulling her hand back to grip her wine glass._ _

__“Melwaso,” the Twi’lek said before nodding to her companion. “And that’s Avo.”_ _

__“You’re Hux’s girl, right?” Avo asked, leaning in closer than her Twi’lek companion. Her eyes scanned over Rose’s form. They were bright grey, nearly white._ _

__“Uh, yeah,” Rose stuttered, unsure if that was how she was to refer to it._ _

__“Are you okay?” Melwaso asked, putting a blue hand on Rose’s wrist careful to avoid the cuff around her wrist. Rose quickly noted that neither of the other women had such restraints on._ _

__“I’m fine,” she said, not exactly ready for an interrogation._ _

__“It’s okay to talk here,” Avo said, again leaning in far too close for comfort._ _

__“What we’re trying to say is we know,” Melwaso said._ _

__“Know what?” Rose asked quietly. Avo looked over Rose’s shoulder quickly before leaning in again._ _

__“We know Hux isn’t exactly the best General to end up with,” Avo said, wincing at the words._ _

__Rose felt lightheaded and she quickly put her glass down on the table lest she drop it._ _

__“Has he had other girls before?” she asked. She felt sick._ _

__“No, not that we know of,” Melwaso said. “But any man who would kill his own father isn’t going to be nice to a slave.”_ _

__The cuff around her neck felt impossibly tight. She raised a hand to it, trying to fiddle with the durasteel in an attempt to breathe._ _

__“I’m sorry I need to go,” Rose said, pulling away from the table._ _

__“You scared her!” Avo snapped at her Twi-lek friend. “She hasn’t worked all the Generals like you.”_ _

__“Oh that’s rich!”_ _

__The women's voices faded into the party as Rose made a beeline for the refresher. She threw herself into the compartment and slammed the door shut. She didn’t even turn the light on, just stood in the darkness listening to her own breathing._ _

__She had Hux’s heart but she didn't know it at all._ _


	14. Chapter 11

It took Rose longer than she cared to admit to finally step back into the ballroom. There was a grumpy officer waiting for the refresher who looked ready to snap at whoever came out until they say it wasn’t a young lieutenant. Instead the officer stepped back and let Rose pass. 

What had Melwaso called her? A slave. A General’s property. If a person snapped at her they might as well yell at a General. You don’t steal a higher up’s belongings and you don’t yell at their slaves. 

Rose ran her hands down the sides of her dress to halt their trembling. She thought about leaving, but figured someone would stop her. They couldn’t let her roam the halls while a party was occupying most of the crew. That would be far too easy. 

Her eyes went to the lift door where three stormtroopers stood at attention. 

There would be no leaving the party early. 

Instead she gathered her courage and started back towards Avo and Melwaso. 

She was Rose Tico, resistance fighter, she wasn’t going to shy away from mistress gossip. 

She smiled as she returned, the movement hurting her mouth as she stretched it too far to make up for how little she felt like grinning. 

“Hi ladies, I’m sorry it’s just… I haven’t seen so many people in a few weeks. I’m still adjusting to everything,” she said, tapping the metal collar on her neck. 

“It’s okay, we’ve all gone through it,” Melwaso said taking a sip from her glass. “What’s your name?” 

“Rose,” she said.

“That’s pretty,” Avo said. The thin woman leaned against the table, the collar of her white dress tugged aside. She was small, only a bit taller than Rose and barely more than bone. A small red light blinked from behind her ear. She shifted and Rose saw a small metal device implanted in the tender skin of her neck. A tracker perhaps? Avo’s General’s way of keeping her in line. Rose’s stomach soured. 

Rose took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She didn’t know when she’d be this close to people with insider knowledge again and despite the pain needling her chest she’d need to learn as much as could now. She looked up at two pairs of empathetic eyes painted up like outer rim flora. 

“I would like to know more about General Hux.”

* * *

It had been a lot of information to take in, but the pair of mistresses were all too eager to share it. It had been a lifetime since they’d met a person who didn’t know all of the Finalizer gossip, and they felt it was assisting a sister in arms. 

It wasn’t a pretty history, but Rose didn’t expect it to be. 

The thing that struck her the most was the apathy the woman pinned to the General. Rose assumed that if someone fought on one side of a war they generally liked to respected their comrades. Hux didn’t. There was a laundry list of officers whose suspicious deaths were either quietly or bluntly assigned to Hux.

The list of crimes seemed to go on forever. 

Crimes committed in the name of the First Order, schemes within the ranks, personal slights that had been circulated around the crew during lunch time gossip. Everyone seemed to have had an interaction with Armitage Hux that left a bad taste in their mouth and Melwaso and Avo seemed to know them all. 

Rose felt heavy as she stepped away from their table, and not just from the drink she’d consumed while she listened to them prattle on. The dress’ straps cut into her shoulders, her heels making her feet ache as she marched through the crewmen towards another droid. She plucked a full glass and chugged it before slamming it back down on the tray. 

Rose had never been a heavyweight when it came to drinking and this night wasn’t the exception. 

She was constantly grabbing for another glass, desperate for something to hold onto as she moved through the crowd. Melwaso joined her, taking her hands and pulling her into a dance as music played loudly from speakers overhead. The officers parted, watching them dance in their revealing outfits. She heard whistling and calls but she wasn’t focused on them. A man offered them both drinks and they took them eagerly. Rose spilled hers as she drank from it, the sticky liquid falling down her chin and dripping down her chest. Melwaso laughed at her, her painted red lips pulling into a wild grin. The music grew louder, and the floor seemed to shift beneath her. Melwaso spun her around and Rose liked watching the shimmering fabric of her dress flare out at her knees. It sparkled under the lights like she’d grabbed a handful of stars from space and stitched them into the garment. 

She liked this feeling, this loopy sensation that took away all the thoughts she didn’t want to dwell on. Melwaso shoved something between her lips and told her to inhale. Rose complied. The smoke scratched at her throat but the rush to her head was almost immediate. 

She held onto Melwaso, dancing with her as officers pressed into to watch. Melwaso spun her around, pulling Rose’s back flush against her chest. Blue hands pulled at Rose’s skirt, lifting the fabric to show off her legs before traveling up to caress her curves. She cupped her breasts and Rose leaned her head back against Melwaso’s neck lost in the sensations of the woman’s hands on her body. 

The Twi-lek was kissing her neck, her breath hot against her skin. Rose looked out at the officers watching them with hungry eyes. They were cheering them on like it was a show. Like Melwaso was playing a harp instead of Rose. 

She turned to look at her friend but found the woman staring into the crowd. Rose followed her gaze and found it attached to an old wrinkled human General. He was watching them intently, his hands clasped behind his back. He was grinning at Melwaso, nodding for her to continue. 

Was this something they did often? Did Melwaso perform in front of the crew at the behest of her General every night? 

Rose felt as if insects were suddenly crawling over her skin. She pulled away from Melwaso, shrugging off the woman as she tried to pull her back into an embrace. 

“Rose!” the woman called, grabbing for her wrist. Rose shook her head but the whole room shook with it. She yanked her hand free and stumbled forward straight into a black uniform with an impressive rank pinned into the chest. She looked up, her head lollying to the side. 

“Rose?” A pale face stared down at her. His hair was bright orange like a flame. If she got too close would he burn her? Rose pressed her hand against his cheek.

“I liked the beard more,” she said before collapsing against his chest. Hux gathered her in his arms, holding her close. 

“We’re leaving.”

He tried to help her move across the floor before stopping to lift her into his arms. Rose felt her stomach lurch but rested her head against the bend of his neck. She tried to focus on the faces that past as he carried her to the lift but they all blurred together. 

In the lift after the doors slid shut he set her onto her feet. Without the ever present thud of the parties’ music it felt like her thoughts could finally return. 

“Rose did you take something? How much did you drink?” Hux asked. He was close, his hand pushing her hair back from her face. When had her hair fallen from its style? Such a shame it had looked so good. Rose’s hand went up to touch his but hit the the metal of her collar first. She yanked it off, throwing it to the otherside of the lift. It hit the wall with a loud CLANG before thudding to the floor. “Rose, are you okay?” 

His hands gripped her cheeks, pulling her face up to look at him straight on. His gloves were warm against her face but the seams along the palms cut into sensitive skin. His face seemed far away but she knew it was close- his breath brushed against her skin. 

She took a moment to focus on green eyes and the purplish bruise surrounding one of them. She wanted to accuse him. To yell that she knew all the horrible things he’d done- all the crimes the Resistance never even heard about. The deeds even the First Order looked down on. Rose wanted to throw all of it in his face, wanted to scream all the hatred she had absorbed in an attempt to heal it. 

But the image of an empty hanger hung in the back of her mind. Her friends had left her. The cause she put her whole heart into left her to die. To the rebels back on their ships it may not feel like a huge crime, Rose was a single life after all and not an important one at that. But here, in the loneliness of chrome and crime she felt as if the Resistance Generals had stabbed her in person. 

Rose Tico usually tried to stand firm in her ideals of right and wrong but ever since this man landed at the Resistance base months ago she couldn’t get her moral compass to point north anymore. 

She’d given everything in her life for the “right” choice and had received nothing in return. It was only when she acted selfishly did she get even a glimmer of happiness. 

Even as a part of her wanted to shove Hux away, to list his crimes and make him stand trial in the elevator for them, Rose pulled his face down until their lips met. She let the sugary liquor she’d consumed lead her movements, slipping her hands under his coat to feel the heat of his body. She gave into the warmth that flickered and soon spread through her core. Hux kissed her like they would never get the chance again. He pressed her shoulders to the wall of the elevator sandwiching her between cold durasteel and his warm body. 

Rose ran her fingers through his hair, her nails disturbing the government sanctioned style. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and held it as he pulled away. He paused and the fire she saw in his eyes made her whole body flood with heat. Sweat ran down the back of her neck as Hux slipped his gloved hand up her thigh. Their lips met again as fingers covered in leather slipped up her dress and grazed her folds. Rose gasped. 

The pressure of his fingers felt good, but that wasn’t the only reason her mouth hung open in surprise. It wasn’t surprising Hux could give her pleasure, not anymore. She was surprised at herself. 

Rose had known all the horrible things Hux did in the name of the First Order and still desired him. And now she knew every dirty secret. She had an idea of how many lives the trigger finger that was between her legs had claimed. 

She didn’t care. 

“Tomorrow Rose,” Hux said against her ear, pulling away from her. The doors slid open and she stared out at the hallway confused at its sudden appearance. That the world wasn’t just a cramped lift anymore. “You need some sleep.” 

She let Hux take her hand and lead her down the corridors as the last few moments washed over her. Time seemed to slip by until she was standing in their private rooms. Hux helped her out of her dress and she slipped under the blankets as he stepped into the refresher. She listened to the soothing sound of the water running in the next room. 

Her moral compass was still spinning around in endless circles as she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while but I hope you enjoy <3


End file.
